Absolutely: Story of a Girl
by peasantly-surprised
Summary: Aiko Nakamura, daughter of the business mogul, Manabu Nakamura, has enrolled into Ouran to begin refining the skills needed to one day succeed her father. She already knew it would be a very strange school - but the people in the school are much stranger than they appear. And what is this Host Club everyone's talking about? Cover image by left-to-die
1. And So They Met

A/N: So, this is gonna be my first published fic on here in a long time. It's been a while - almost two years I think? That's a hell of a long time. This is an OC I made for the Ouran universe that took a very long time for me to approve of. The twins and Mori and Honey reserve a very special place in my heart, and they all need more screen time, period. I'm not sure I've caught their characters as well as some, but I hope they aren't _too_ OOC for you guys. I've done my best to avoid any Mary-Sueism and trust me, this is in no way a self-insert. But if you still want to attack my authorial competence or there lack of, feel free to not read my story. But for everyone else, I thank you for giving my little fic a read and stopping by my corner of the internet. Enjoy.

Ouran High School Host Club and all it's characters, places, and events are _not_ mine. They all belong to the creator, the very wonderful and talented Bisco Hatori! This piece of fiction does not profit from anyone and I do not receive anything but happiness that my fic may be read by y'all.

* * *

**ONE**

The early morning sun rose over the lands of the esteemed Nakamura estate, casting its watery, honey-colored light over the many grazing pastures and outer buildings that housed guests of the family. A sliver of the light peeked through the drawn curtains of Aiko Nakamura, only daughter of Manabu Nakamura, one of the most prominent men in the management business world-wide. He owned many, if not most of all the largest hotel and resort chains that spanned across the globe. A busy man, short and stout, but dependable, and not one that was lenient on people who cross him; but a loving father to his daughter and heiress, even though he was not always around her to watch her grow up.

That very morning was one of those instances when Manabu had a pile of paperwork to look over and several important meetings with clients and managers of various estates, although what he most wanted to do was see Aiko off on her first day of high school at Ouran Private High School as a first year. But all he could do was make sure that the maids prepared a spectacular and energizing breakfast for his precious little girl.

By the time Manabu had gotten into his office and had work thrown at him left and right, Aiko was just being woken up by her personal maid, Yumi.

"Come along, young miss," the middle-aged maid said cheerfully, pulling back the curtains to let in more of the diluted sun light as it broke through the overhang of ivy that clung to the top of Aiko's window. "A very big day for you, Aiko-sama. The master sends his wishes that you'll have a very productive day, and says for me to tell you that he'll see you later on this evening."

Aiko grumbled something, stuffing her head deeper underneath the tundra of pillows on her bed.

Yumi crossed over to the bed and drew back the covers that cocooned the young woman. "Aiko-sama," she said a bit more sternly. "We have readied your breakfast and the driver is ready to take you to school. Get up, now."

"Who died and made you queen?" came the muffled reply from the figure on the bed. She was teasing, and of course Yumi knew that; Aiko was _not_ an early riser, under any circumstance. Sitting up into a crumpled place at the end of the bed, Aiko yawned and stretched her back. "Alright, alright, I'm up, Yumi. You can go now."

The maid gave a near-snort, not believing the young woman in the least bit. "And don't think I won't know whether you go back to sleep again once I leave out of this room, Aiko-sama. This is your first and only warning: if you're not up and presentable in the next twenty minutes, I'll come in here with reinforcements." And with that said, Yumi left out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.

Groaning because she knew that Yumi was not one to test, Aiko managed to shuffle from her bed to her personal en suite bathroom and turn on the shower. After a quick, refreshing shower, Aiko stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped snugly around her frame, allowing her hair to air dry-it frizzed less that way. She eyed the canary yellow dress that would be her uniform at Ouran with distaste.

_Whoever designed this dress must have been screwy in the mind_, she thought to herself, slipping it on anyways. _Only to please Father would I wear such a hideous thing._

Once the dress was on, along with the stockings and black kitten-heeled shoes, Aiko turned to appraise the ensemble in the full-length mirror in her closet. She wrinkled her nose at the image; yellow was never her color to begin with, and having to wear this dress made her complexion look washed out, her hair lank and eyes — which were still foggy with sleep — dull. Not that Aiko considered herself very pretty anyways ― this dress just brought more attention to her unexciting features.

"This is as good as it's going to get," she murmured quietly to herself. With a last glance in the mirror, Aiko walked out of the closet, grabbing her bag from her desk along the way, and left the room. She traveled down the hallways until she found the back staircase into the kitchens, preferring to make little excitement from the staff as possible.

As it was, the second she entered the kitchen, various cooks and maids swarming around Aiko, all of them cooing and calling to her affectionately, saying such things like "the young miss looks so refined in her school attire" and "all grown up, she is". Waving off their compliments, Aiko sat herself at the small breakfast table, where servants were piling toast and waffles on plates, along with jam and biscuits, a glass of orange juice, and scrambled eggs.

"Personally requested by the master," one of the younger servants, Hana, told Aiko. "He wanted to have everything perfect for your first day, miss."

"Thank you, Hana," Aiko said, giving the woman a small smile. Hana returned the smile and disappeared out the door to attend to her other morning chores.

Aiko did not spend much time on her breakfast; her stomach was too knotted with nerves, and she felt faintly sick. The cooks urged her, however, to take the bento box they had prepared for her lunch, which Aiko took graciously. Who knew what that snob school served their students? No, Aiko much preferred the taste of her own cooks' meals.

Walking down the drive after bidding everyone goodbye, Aiko struggled to keep one foot in front of the other, and not trip on her way to the town car awaiting her at the end of the drive. It would be just her luck to go sprawling on the concrete because she wasn't paying attention to any loose stone. But she made it to the car without incident, which was a small disappointment, actually; a fall down that driveway would have meant a trip to the hospital, and then Aiko wouldn't need to bother with going to school. On the other hand, it would also mean that her father would feel entitled to take off work to make sure she recovered, and that wasn't something Aiko would allow him to do. So, with a resigned sigh, Aiko allowed Mako, the driver, to help her into the backseat of the pristine black town car before getting into the driver's seat himself, and setting off to Ouran.

All through the drive, Aiko attempted to calm herself by looking out the window of the town car and watch the scenery roll past, but she always zoned back out after just a few minutes. The entire car ride was mostly a big blur, and before she knew what was happening, Mako had pulled up in front of the monstrous pink clock tower of Ouran and offered her a hand out of the seat. "Miss?"

Aiko looked at Mako's hand without seeing it, and tried keeping her breathing steady. This was it. She was actually here.

Just last year she'd been an extremely sheltered young woman at a private boarding school off in the country-side, an all girl's school, with only a limited number of students at a time. Aiko had never been great with crowds or extremely noisy places, so boarding school seemed like her best bet. But just that year, her father had said it was time she begun to learn the techniques that an heir to a company such as the Nakamura Comp. would need.

And that meant coming to Ouran.

It wasn't that Aiko resented her father's wishes. She loved her father with all her heart, and knew he was just looking out for her best interest. But because of the distance his work forced between them, he wasn't very aware of Aiko's extreme dislike for large numbers of people.

Even so, Aiko knew how much going to Ouran would please her father, so she'd agreed to it. Now that she was here, however, Aiko was beginning to regret her decision. But a promise was a promise, Aiko reminded herself. So, taking a final, steadying breath, she reached out and grasped Mako's hand and slid out of the seat as gracefully as she could manage. "Thank you, Mako. You may go now," she dismissed him.

Mako bowed and, after promising to be waiting right after school, got back into the car and drove off. Aiko watched him go regretfully, and played with the idea of calling him back, but shook the thought off. The clock tower said that she had about thirty or so minutes before school officially began, though she wished that it was longer. Half an hour was not enough time to gather what little nerve Aiko had and face her new classmates. This might be her own first day at school, but it was already a month into the semester for the other students, meaning Aiko would have a lot of make-up work to take care of. Her father had to pull a few strings to get her enrolled this late into the year, and had instructed Aiko that she could not get below a certain average, or she would be bumped down from her 1-A class to 1-B, or possibly lower.

"But no pressure," Aiko muttered under her breath now, when she wasn't within earshot of the man.

Plucking up her lacking courage, Aiko forced herself to walk up the wide marble steps, not meeting any of the curious looks she was getting from the other students loitering around. Already, she could feel a hot flush beginning to creep up her neck at the whispers she heard that were most likely about her.

Because her head was down and she wasn't looking at anything but her feet, Aiko didn't see the tall, dark presence blocking her path until it was too late. Crashing into a hard chest, Aiko let out a small gasp as she bounced backwards, beginning what would most likely be a rather painful and humiliating fall down the stairs. But before Aiko could go further than a foot, a strong, ropy arm wrapped around her waist, stopping her fall immediately.

Aiko sucked in a shocked breath, clutching at her savior's ― extremely defined ― biceps while her bag and all of its contents fell around them haphazardly. The students around them had fallen into a tense silence, and she knew all eyes were on her for causing such a commotion. But all she could see was the uniform-clad chest of the man (it was the uniform for the men at Ouran, anyway, so her savior was probably a man), and when she allowed her eyes to travel upwards, the dark eyes and cool expression of one of the most ruggedly handsome men she'd ever laid eyes on. Aiko's face must have been tomato red by that time.

Opening her mouth to say something ― anything ― to this dashing stranger, Aiko was interrupted by a blonde head popping up from behind her savior's shoulder, his big brown eyes looking down at her worriedly. "You really need to be more careful walking up these steps; it would hurt really badly if Takashi hadn't caught you. Huh, Takashi?" This little blonde stranger (who looked ten at the oldest, and definitely too young to be wearing a high school uniform) turned to look at the older.

"Yeah," Aiko's savior ― who she assumed was Takashi the blonde boy spoke of ― said in a deep, rumbling voice that made her jump slightly. He straightened up, bringing Aiko to a standing position as well, and steadied her with a large hand on the shoulder.

The little blonde boy, who was holding a large stuffed pink bunny, smiled down at Aiko from his perch on his friend's shoulders. "Are you okay? Do you need something? I can give you cake!"

Aiko opened up her mouth again to say something. The most that came out of her dry throat was, "Um . . . uh . . . nah . . ." Swallowing the lump in her throat, Aiko managed to form a more complete sentence. "I-I mean . . . y-yes I feel fine . . . thank you, and I'm so, so sorry for b-bumping into you . . . I wasn't l-looking where I w-was stepping, see, and . . ."

Blondie cut Aiko off with a cute little giggle, small pink flowers suddenly popping up around his head. _What the . . . ?_ "You're funny! I like you! And it's not your fault, right, Takashi? He should've been watching, too."

"Yeah." Takashi bent down and the blonde boy scrambled off of his shoulders as they both began to pick up the papers that had fallen from Aiko's bag.

"Oh, no!" she said. "You don't have to do . . . let me get this . . ." But the two of them were already straightening up, Aiko's bag in Takashi's large hand, and the assorted supplies and papers in the blonde boy's arms. He put them in the bag and then handed it to Aiko with a large grin. "There you go! All better now!"

Taking the bag, Aiko blushed again and bowed respectfully to the two boys in front of her. "T-thank you, very much . . ."

"Haninozuka Mitsukini!" the blonde boy said, pointing to himself. "You can call me Honey! And this is my cousin, Morinozuka Takashi, but people call him 'Mori' for short!"

"Thank you, Honey-sempai; thank you, Mori-sempai," Aiko said, bowing again to hide her frazzled state. "I am Nakamura Aiko."

Honey grinned and threw his arms around Aiko's neck, exclaiming, "Aiko-chan!" and giggling as he did so. Aiko nearly lost her balance as Honey spun them around on the steps. When he let go, Aiko's face was flaming once again and she was a bit dizzy. "You must be new here if you don't know Takashi and me, Aiko-chan."

"Um, yes, I am new," she murmured, ducking her head. Already with the nicknames? Aiko didn't particularly have any problem with it, but it was still very sudden. Replacing her bag to her shoulder, she became aware that the other students were no longer silent. Raising her head a bit, Aiko saw that they were back to whispering in their little groups, but still watching her and the other two intently. Face flaming, Aiko hid her face behind a curtain of hair. "I-Is it that obvious, Honey-sempai?"

The small boy laughed again and hugged the stuffed bunny closer to him. "Not really, Aiko-chan. But Usa-chan and I don't mind! We love meeting new people and making friends! Huh, Takashi?"

Instead of replying with another "Yeah" this time, Mori simply nodded, gazing down at Honey coolly. Aiko wondered how two such different people could be friends.

Honey had said something and was now looking up at Aiko with a hopeful look, those flowers floating around his head again. Blushing again, Aiko realized that he'd asked her something and was now waiting for a reply. "I-I'm sorry . . . what was that, Honey . . .?"

"Silly, Aiko-chan! I asked you if you'd like to come visit me and Takashi at our club after school. Please say yes ― and when you come, we can play with Usa-chan and eat lots of yummy cake. Do you like cake? I love cake, and so does Usa-chan."

Aiko blinked. "Um . . . I d-don't know, Honey-sempai . . . I really wouldn't want to impose on your club―"

Shaking his head firmly, Honey said, "You wouldn't! Tama-chan and Haru-chan would love you! And so would Hika-chan and Kao-chan and Kyo-chan! Right, Takashi?" The tall, stoic companion of Honey's nodded again, a faint smile on his lips. "See? So please say you'll come!"

For a long minute, Aiko was extremely flabbergasted. Here was this boy ― though he wore the high school uniform and was probably older than he looked, those big eyes and childish tendencies made Honey look like a small child that should have been in elementary school ― and his cool companion inviting her to an after school club when they'd only just met, and all because Aiko was a klutz. She opened and closed her mouth several times before she was able to answer. "Um . . . I-I'll see if I can, Honey-sempai."

"Yay!" Honey cried, throwing his arms around Aiko's neck again, spinning them around wildly once again. If that was how he greeted her each time, Aiko needed to make sure she hadn't eaten anything right before.

And then the bell rang, signaling the start of another school day. In a great mass, the students began to make their way inside the buildings, still muttering and casting glances Aiko's way. "C'mon, Aiko-chan!" Honey called from a few steps up, hanging from Mori's shoulder's once again. "Takashi and I can walk you to class!"

Blinking stupidly up at them, Aiko followed behind the two as they led her into the school building. She was so dazed that the flawless architecture of the various hallways almost slipped past her. Honey asked which homeroom she had, and Aiko told him quietly. The news that she was on the 1-A track seemed to please him immensely.

"You have the same homeroom as Haru-chan, Hika-chan, and Kao-chan!" he exclaimed happily.

"Ah," Mori grunted coming to a stop in front of a door.

"Well, bye, Aiko-chan," Honey said cheerfully. "Have a good day!"

Aiko waved at their retreating figures until the two turned a corner, and she was left alone in the hallway. When she turned to face the door and put a hand on the door knob, Aiko could feel a lump beginning to close up her throat. _I can do this_, she thought. _I can do this._ She turned the handle and opened the door, stepping into a classroom with large floor-to-ceiling windows, expensive decorations, and many eyes looking back at her. Aiko froze right inside the door, unable to go any further.

"Ah," said a man who must have been the teacher. "You must be Nakamura Aiko. Welcome to Ouran." He held out a hand for Aiko to shake, which she did, trying to keep her hand from trembling noticeably. "Class, this is our new student, Aiko, and I expect you to welcome her warmly. Miss Nakamura? You may have that seat right over there, right behind Mr. Fujioka."

The teacher (which Aiko remembered was Mr. Sasumi) pointed to an empty desk near the back of the class and close to the windows, which was behind a boy with short brown hair and large, surprisingly feminine brown eyes. As Aiko sat down, he turned around in his desk and greeted her with a smile. "Hello," he said. "I'm Haruhi Fujioka. Nice to meet you."

Even his voice sounded faintly girl-like, though deeper than most girls Aiko knew. She smiled shyly at him. "I'm Aiko. The pleasure's all mine." They shook hands, and Aiko noted that Haruhi's were also very feminine, small and delicate.

"Is this your first time at Ouran, Nakamura-san?" Haruhi asked. Class had yet to start, and everyone else was still conversing quietly among themselves. Only a handful was still glancing at Aiko, but she tried to ignore them in favor of speaking to Haruhi. His calm voice and open nature put Aiko strangely at ease.

Aiko nodded, giving a small, rueful chuckle. "You don't need to call me 'Nakamura-san', Haruhi-san. Aiko is fine."

Haruhi laughed as well, and the sound reminded Aiko of a bubbling brook that ran through her family's estate. "Alright then, Aiko," he corrected. "But this means that you're allowed to call me Haruhi."

"Okay, Haruhi. And, yes, this is my first time at Ouran. Or any school that's not a boarding school, really."

"Oh?" Haruhi asked, raising his eyebrows. "Where did you go before?"

Just as Aiko opened her mouth to respond, the majority of the girls in the classroom erupted into fits of giggling and squealing. Turning her head to see what they were all fussing about, she gave startled squeak when she came face to face with a good-looking redheaded boy, smirk clear and his topaz eyes glittering with mischief. It didn't seem fair that someone could be so handsome without even trying. As it was, Aiko's cheeks pooled with blood at the closeness the boy pushed upon her; their noses were barely a few inches apart.

"Well, Haruhi," the strange boy said slyly, smirk widening. "Did you bring us a new toy to play with?"

"You're too kind, Haruhi," another voice purred from behind Aiko. She jumped and spun around, only to find herself with the same boy . . . but no. This boy's hair had been parted to a different side than the other's. She glanced back at the other boy, trying to make sense of it all.

"Hikaru, Kaoru," Haruhi chided. "Cut that out. Can't you see you're scaring the poor girl?"

One of the twins (Aiko didn't know which one) turned to Haruhi and pouted. "Oh, don't be such a party pooper, Haruhi. You're always ruining our fun."

"Yeah," said the other twin. "Lighten up a little, would you?"

Haruhi rolled his eyes and put his face into his hands in defeat; the twins turned back to Aiko, who looked down at her desk, extremely flustered. She didn't know whether to feel excited that two very attractive boys ― four, counting Honey and Mori ― had decided to pay attention to her, or nervous. "Aw, look at the poor thing, Hikaru," said the twin on the left, grinning slyly.

"She's _blushing_, Kaoru," said the twin on the right, Hikaru. He reached out and put a finger underneath Aiko's chin, lifting it so that her face was to him. Gazing at her through half-lidded eyes, he purred, "Such an interesting little toy isn't she?"

Aiko looked into Hikaru's eyes, more than a little mesmerized. But after a few moments, her eyes narrowed, causing his to widen in surprise. Gripping his hand, she thrust it away from her, pushing him just a bit as well. She head Kaoru gasp from behind her, and saw more than a few of the girls in class turn her way with looks of horror. Ignoring them, she continued to glare at Hikaru. "I am _not_ your toy," she replied quietly, but still firm; her voice barely rose above a whisper. "Not yours, or anyone else's."

Hikaru stared at her, open-mouthed, as did most other students in the classroom. All conversation had died off, and everyone's attention was riveted on the two people involved in the stare down. Aiko was the first to break eye contact and look down at her hands, which clenched tightly on her desk. "That was rude of me," she admitted. "I'm not saying it wasn't true ― but it was still rude for me to push you. And for that, only, I apologize."

It was deathly quiet in the room. Aiko wasn't brave enough to look up at Hikaru or Kaoru, but she could feel their eyes burning into the sides of her head. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she heard Hikaru walk to his seat next to Haruhi and pull the chair out roughly, then sit down. She glanced up hesitantly from underneath her bangs, to meet the eyes of Haruhi and Kaoru. The latter just looked at her calmly, with a slight twitching going on at his lip . . . possibly a smile? Before Aiko could really look, he'd gone to sit down on the other side of Haruhi. The feminine-looking boy gave her a little shrug, then turned around as well.

Aiko ducked her head again, a bit ashamed of her actions. But she needed to make it clear: she was not _anyone's_ toy. Never again.

The lesson started, with Aiko paying only a bit of attention; for most of the class she just stared out of the window. It was a surprising thing: the girl didn't tend to pay any attention in class if it didn't interest her, yet she seemed to absorb the information with incredible speed and accuracy, mostly passing her tests and quizzes. But she didn't try, really. Just . . . answered correctly. That was all.

So when the bell (more like wind chimes than a regular bell, though) rang, signaling the start of the lunch hour, Aiko had only half-heard what the teacher talked about, mostly writing in her journal. Hikaru and Kaoru were one of the first to leave, dragging Haruhi along after them, despite his protests. A small chuckle escaped Aiko's mouth. She waited until the classroom was empty before slinging her bag over her shoulder and walking out. There was no one to wait for or meet up with, so Aiko took her time walking out of the building. Passing by the slightly opened doors of the refectory, she heard the loud chattering of many students, and made her way to the far side of the hall, continuing her way out.

Outside in the garden there weren't very many people, which was perfect for Aiko. She settled herself underneath one of the trees, enjoying the way the sun shining down through the blossoms, tinting her skin a delicate pink color.

Aiko took out her box lunch, which consisted of a few egg rolls, some sushi, and rice smothered in sauce. Settling down, she started eating, making sure not to spill anything on her dress. She looked out across the vast expanse of grounds and wondered what she ever did to end up here. "I'm not like these people," she sighed. "Not really. I'm the outcast. The freak." Aiko gave a dry laugh. "Always will be."

* * *

"Hikaru, Kaoru!" Haruhi cried out. "Would you both quit pulling me? You're hurting my arm!"

The twins didn't reply, but they let Haruhi go, who fell to the floor. Kaoru and Hikaru stopped walking and turned to look down at their friend. "What's your problem anyway?" the girl mumbled into the floor. Sighing, she picked herself up and brushed the front of her blazer of. "I mean, yeah, Aiko-san shouldn't have pushed you, Hikaru, but―"

"There's no '_buts'_ about it, Haruhi!" Hikaru shouted angrily. "We were only messing with her anyways. Right, Kaoru?"

Kaoru nodded his head, but didn't completely agree with his twin. Although both twins were known for being rather touchy-feely with other people, Kaoru knew when it was time to back off from someone, especially when that person was new. He'd been slightly impressed at Aiko's ability to stand up for herself, even more so when she'd realized that her own actions weren't exactly kind in return. She seemed like an interesting girl ― and he knew that Hikaru probably felt the same; his twin was just too embarrassed at being rebuffed in front of everyone to admit it.

Glancing over at Hikaru, he saw that his brother was glaring off blindly into the crowd, not even listening to Haruhi. But there was thoughtfulness to his brother's gaze that Kaoru found encouraging.

"Well?" Haruhi demanded finally.

Kaoru glanced at her. "Well, what?"

She sighed and shook her head. "Never mind. Can we just go to lunch?"

Nodding, he motioned for her to take the lead, then went to nudge his brother. "Hey, Hikaru?" Kaoru said quietly. "Are you okay?"

Hikaru looked at his brother for a long moment. "I'm fine," he replied. "Why wouldn't I be? She was just a silly girl; doesn't matter to me." And he went walking after Haruhi, leaving Kaoru to stare after him sadly. Maybe he'd just imagined he'd seen the little quirk in Hikaru's expression?

Sighing, Kaoru tucked his hands into his pants pocket and walked after his brother and friend and into the noisy refectory.

* * *

Aiko returned to the building, ignoring the many whispers and stares she felt directed at her. It seemed that it would always be like that; this time, though, she could definitely hear some names interposed that wasn't her name.

"So she's the one-?

"Yes. That girl pushed Hikaru in class today."

"-the nerve of her!"

"And to one of the Host Club members, too!"

"-lucky she's new-"

"They wouldn't take that sitting down if she'd been here longer."

_If only Father could see me now_, she thought dryly, gaze avoiding that of anyone else's. _First day and already the talk of the school—he'll be so proud._

But something in those whispers nagged at the back of Aiko's mind, along with what Honey had said when they'd met earlier that very day:

_ "I asked you if you'd like to come visit me and Takashi at our club after school." . . . Tama-chan and Haru-chan would love you! And so would Hika-chan and Kao-chan and Kyo-chan __…"_

Aiko had no idea who these Tama-chan and Kyo-chan were, but the others sounded extremely familiar. And hadn't she just heard the whispers from down the hallways that Hikaru was in a club? The Host Club—whatever _that_ was. It seemed like a long shot that Honey and Mori would know Haruhi and the twins and she herself would run into all of them her first day there.

Rubbing at her temples, Aiko heaved a great sigh. "This is just turning out to be a crazy day," she grumbled to herself.

"Aiko-san!"

She didn't even have time to look up before Honey had taken it upon himself to jump into Aiko's surprised arms, spinning her around—again. Only this time she'd just finished eating, and twirling didn't exactly sit well on a digesting stomach.

"H-Honey-senpai," she choked out. For such a small kid, the boy's grip was just as strong as Mori's. Speaking of which, the dark and brooding bloke was standing very near them, almost like a bodyguard. Aiko was able to give him a detached smile before turning her attention to what the blond-haired boy was yammering on about. He hadn't even paused in what he was saying to realize Aiko hadn't been paying attention.

"-and then Haru-chan kept trying to defend you from Hika-chan. He was really upset because you pushed him, Aiko-chan. That wasn't very nice, you know. But Haru-chan said you apologized, so now it's just Hika-chan being a big baby is all. And _then_-"

Throughout all this, Aiko had been trying to interrupt as politely as she could, but enough was enough. "_Honey-senpai_."

The sternness in her voice made the younger-looking boy pause mid-sentence, gaze wide and fixed upon her face. Mori simply looked down at both, impassive.

She took a deep breath, regaining her composure. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, Honey-senpai," she apologized, bowing her head slightly. Aiko usually wasn't so rude when talking to anyone, but the stress of it being her first day and already having a bad rep was really weighing on her mind. "You just—wouldn't listen."

When she thought Honey would get upset and stomp away, he simply beamed up at her, those little pink flowers blossoming around his head again. Aiko was bewildered—_where had they come from?_

"No, it's okay, Aiko-chan. I know I talk a lot sometimes. Right, Takashi?" A grunt came from his stoic companion, which probably meant yes. Honey turned back to her. "But enough about that. I really came looking for you to ask if you were still coming to our club after school."

Aiko blinked. He'd been serious about that offer? "Honey-senpai," she started, but couldn't find her words for a few moments. "Thank you for the offer, really, but I don't really think I'd be a welcome addition to this...club of yours."

"But _Aiko-chan_!" Honey had whipped out the puppy dog eyes and pout, a truly deadly weapon if one knew how to wield them. And boy, did Honey know how to. "You'd be perfect! Just because Hika-chan's a little upset about this morning shouldn't keep you from coming to meet everyone else!"

"Wait-" She held up a hand to stop Honey, brow furrowed in confusion. "Hika-chan? Am I right to guess that that's Hikaru?"

Honey nodded enthusiastically. "That's right! And so is Karou and Haruhi! They're all part of the Host club with us and Tama- and Kyo-chan. Like _one_ big happy family!" Again with those silly pink flowers dancing around his head. And quite suddenly, Usa-chan, his bunny, was cuddled in his arms as well. "So please say you'll come, Aiko-chan. Hikaru won't be too mean; we promise. Takashi?"

The two of them turned to look up at Mori: Honey with a pleading face and Aiko with a skeptical one. The dark-haired young man glanced between them before nodding his head. As an added bonus, he lifted his hand and placed it on top of Aiko's head, giving it a few pats. "Promise."

Now her face was pink and she was once again flustered by the surprise affection. Somehow she managed to stammer out a quick "Maybe" before the chimes rang across the campus, signaling the end of the lunch period.

Honey scrambled on top of Mori's shoulders as the older boy started to walk down the hall towards their next class. "Hope to see you after school, Aiko-chan!" he called over his shoulder, waving. Aiko managed a small wave back, and then they were gone, leaving her alone to deal with the passing stares and whispers of the other students. As she walked towards her next class, Aiko tried to think over everything that Honey had said.

_A Host Club?_ She pondered over that. _Why would a high school have a Host Club? And what exactly would they be hosting in there...?_

* * *

And so it ends! I hope you guys liked the first chapter.

Reviews and constructive-criticism is always welcome.


	2. The Host Club Awaits!

A/N: I would like to say a quick thank-you to the people who added my story to their favorites/follow list!

**Marlen-sama**  
**unlimited-tears**  
**Kang Mina**  
**Apocalypsebutterfly**  
and **Creative Lunatic**

Also a big shout out to **Kang Mina **and **unlimitedtears** for being my first reviewers! You're all great and I'm glad you liked the first chapter so much! I hope you enjoy this one just as much!

_Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters, places, and events are _not_ mine. They all belong to the creator, the very wonderful and talented Bisco Hatori! This piece of fiction does not profit from anyone and I do not receive anything but happiness that my fic may be read by y'all._

* * *

TWO

The rest of her day continued on much like the first part: not-so-concealed whispers, Aiko gazing out of the too-large windows, and many heated stares coming from one—or both—of the twins behind her. But it was the last period of the day and Aiko decided that she would gladly welcome it all if it only meant she could go home sooner. Just the mere thought of collapsing on top of her large, comfortable bed was almost too much for her to take.

She managed to get her focus back on the teacher, who was blathering on about some God-forsaken math theorem (math was perhaps the only subject Aiko lagged in, which was why she should have taken better care in paying attention), but quickly dozed back out within a matter of minutes.

But still, that nagging, Yumi-like voice in the back of her mind was chastising her.

_You know you can't go home,_ it said. _Honey and Mori will be expecting you at their Host Club immediately after school._

"Well, I don't know about _immediately_," Aiko muttered to herself with a quick rolling of the eyes. Great—now she was talking to herself. This school was just doing wonders to her mental stability.

The voice continued on despite her grumblings. _Just imagine how disappointed Honey will be when he doesn't see you. Do you really want to deal with that poor little thing all teary-eyed and pouting? I don't think so._

Aiko groaned softly. Stupid Yumi-voice. "_Fine_," she said in defeat. "I'll go to the stupid club."

"Well," Haruhi said, somehow standing right next to Aiko's desk, backpack already hitched over his shoulder. "That was certainly easier than I expected it to be."

Aiko looked up in shock, a squeak slipping between her lips. The classroom was empty except for them, though Aiko could still hear the shuffling of feet outside in the hallway. The bell must have rung just a few seconds beforehand, while she was talking to herself...

"Oh my gosh," she whispered in horror. "Did I really just do that?"

"Yes." Well, Haruhi sure was a blunt one. While Aiko deflated in her seat, the boy held up a hand in comfort. "If it makes you feel any better, I know a whole group of people who could be considered crazier than you. We're going to meet them right now-if you're ready, that is."

Glancing up from underneath her bangs, Aiko gave him a pleading grimace. "I'm really going, aren't I?"

Haruhi answered with a simple nod. "Hikaru and Karou are standing outside just in case you tried to make a run for it." At Aiko's startled glance towards the classroom doors, he chuckled ruefully. "Honey-senpai really wants you to meet everyone in the club. And what Honey wants, he usually gets. Sorry."

She heaved a great, weary sigh. Gathering her notebook and pencil, Aiko tossed them into her bag and stood, trying to put on a brave face. "I guess I have no choice then. Lead the way, Haruhi."

As the two of them exited the classroom, Aiko was again surprised to see that Karou and Hikaru were _indeed_ standing right outside the doors, one on either side, ready to catch her arms if she tried to run. "It's okay, guys," Haruhi assured them. "She's coming without complaint."

Hikaru sniffed. "Good. I didn't feel like having to drag her all the way there." And with that, he strode off down the hall, Karou following along with a mixture of amusement and relief twinkling in those strange eyes of his. He glanced back once at Haruhi and Aiko and shrugged his shoulders, almost like, _What can you do? That's Hikaru for ya'._

Aiko watched the twins go with furrowed brows. "Does Hikaru really hate me for what I did this morning?" she questioned Haruhi. They walked down the same direction as the twins, but at a slower rate. "I mean, I know I pushed him, but he was in the wrong, too. I—I don't like being crowded like that."

Haruhi managed a wry smile. "I wouldn't worry too much about him, Aiko. Hikaru's kind of stand-offish even to his friends, and he takes some time warming up to people. Give it a couple of days and I'm sure he'll cool off. The twins usually get bored with their 'playthings' after a week or two."

They walked the rest of the way in silence, but Haruhi's wording had Aiko pondering all the way. Plaything. Was that how the twins saw everyone at the school? As their playthings to mess around with, and then tossing away once it got boring? It was too much like her old boarding school for Aiko's liking—and she'd thought she'd finally gotten away from all the cat fights and drama of an all-girl's school.

Looks like Ouran really wasn't that different after all.

Haruhi's voice startled Aiko out of her thoughts. "We're here."

She looked up at the large, ornate double doors they stood in front of. The sign hanging next to it said _Music Room #3_. But the place looked like it hadn't been visited in years.

_They have a host club in an abandoned music room?_ Aiko thought as Haruhi began to pull the doors open. She tried to peer inside. _What could they possibly do in an old, stuffy music room-?_

The first thing that hit was the swirling of rose petals carried by an unseen wind that flew gracefully around Aiko's face. As she stared, bewildered, Haruhi just gave an understanding grunt. "You'll get used to it after the first couple of times. But good news for me is that today's not a cosplay."

_Cosplay?_ It seemed there was no stop to the endless questions running through Aiko's mind, but that did not dare come across her lips.

Finally, Haruhi had the doors opened wide and Aiko was staring and openly gawking at the room before her. Now, she was no stranger to tastefully designed rooms and such, and this one was by no standard the best she'd ever seen—but the way the large windows poured in natural light that had the entire room bathed in a golden glow seemed to take her breath away. It was simple, yet stunning, which was Aiko's preference to most anything.

As Aiko admired the space before her, she became aware that more than one pair of curious eyes were watching her. Aiko felt a blush beginning to grow across her cheeks; before she could get good and properly embarrassed, though, Honey had already bounded across the room and into her arms for his customary greeting.

"Aiko-chan! You made it!" he exclaimed in apparent joy.

She managed a slightly amused smile. "Well, a promise is a promise, after all." _Not to mention you were planning on dragging me here against my will if I didn't plan on coming myself._

Honey seemed to know what she was thinking and didn't even have the decency to look abashed. He just grinned, all proud of himself. "Good." Grabbing her hand, he towed her farther into the room, closer towards the group in the middle. "Now you get to meet _everyone _in the club."

Again, for such a small build, Honey had a _surprisingly _good grip. It was all Aiko could do to not be pitched forward and smack her face into the floor. As it was, she took the few seconds it took for Honey to drag her to scope out the occupants of the room.

The first thing that drew her eye was Haruhi, probably because he was the only one besides Honey and Mori (who had appeared just as suddenly as Honey and was now trailing behind them with a chicken resting on top of his head. Aiko didn't ask) who she was a bit comfortable around. Haruhi was standing a little off to the side, watching the scene with an almost bemused look on his feminine features. The twins sprawled out across a couch, the farthest ones in the entire group. Karou was openly smirking at Aiko while Hikaru had his nose turned up at the whole thing and was blatantly ignoring them. Either that, or he was just a really good actor.

Aiko didn't know which one she preferred.

The other two young men Aiko hadn't seen at school that day at all. One was dark-haired and had glasses and was furiously scribbling down something in a little notebook. The other was blond and had possibly the bluest eyes Aiko had ever seen—so dark they looked purple. He looked like an anxious puppy waiting to be given a rawhide, sitting in a throne-like chair and bouncing up and down.

"Aiko-chan, meet Tama-chan and Kyo-chan," Honey introduced them, pointing at each one in turn. The blond turned out to be Tama-chan, and the creepy one was Kyo-chan. Aiko felt like meeting both of them was going to make her tired in ways she'd never expect.

The blond one stood and expertly grasped Aiko's hand and bringing it too his lips before she could even form a complete protest. His lips brushed across her knuckles and those purple eyes of his watched her with a deep passion that sent Aiko's face ablaze. "It's such an honor to meet a fair beauty such as yourself, princess. I am Suoh Tamaki, president of the Host Club, and I welcome you to our humble abode."

She somehow managed to stammer out her name, which caused Tamaki to flash a charming grin her way. "I-I'm Na-Nakam-mura Aik-k-ko." Maybe she should have taken her chances and run when she could.

"A beautiful name for a beautiful maiden such as yourself," Tamaki continued on, still holding her hand rather too close to his lips.

Aiko retracted it in a way she hoped wasn't too rude. "Um, t-thank you." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Karou turn and whisper something into Hikaru's ear that made him smirk slightly. Oh how she hoped it wasn't something bad about her, like her flustered stuttering.

"Now, now, Tamaki," the glasses character drawled out, finally looking up from his notebook. "We don't want to overwhelm our new guest quite so suddenly. Remember, this is all new to her." Turning towards Aiko, he held out a hand to shake, extremely business-like, though he spoke pleasantly enough. The smile he gave was cool and seemed to say "I know everything about everyone, even you, but I'll let you introduce yourself just for the heck of it."

"Ootori Kyoya. Pleasure to meet you, Aiko." He seemed to already know her dislike of the "-san" being added to her name. Aiko wasn't too sure what to make of him besides creepy, but she shook his hand politely anyway.

"Pleasure's all mine." They dropped hands and Kyoya immediately went back to his notebook; she had the distinct impression he was jotting down notes about her.

"You already know the Hittachins' and Haruhi, right, Nakamura-hime?" Tamaki asked in that velvety voice of his.

It took a moment for Aiko to wrap her head around what came out of Tamaki's mouth. "I'm sorry...you must be mistaking me for someone else, calling me _'princess'_ like that-"

"No, that's just how Tamaki likes to greet our guests, and the female population in general," Kyoya butt in, not looking up as he spoke. Aiko found it fascinating how he did that. "He's what you would call our Princely Type. The charmer, every girl's fairy tale come true, et cetera."

Confusion was written all over her face. "Princely type...?"

Tamaki ran a hand through his hair as sparkles popped all around him, causing Aiko to blink a few times—just to make sure she wasn't imagining things. Haruhi rolled his eyes and put a hand to his face, like this was an old trick that had lost its charm a while ago. "Well, yes, of course. There's a type for nearly every lady that walks through those doors. I'm the Princely, Kyoya's the Cool Type, Mori is the Wild Type. Honey is our Boy Lolita and the twins are our Mischievous Type with an added Brotherly Love package, if you'd prefer."

With each member he named, Tamaki pointed in their general direction, over dramatizing their _types_ with more gusto than an award-winning Soap Opera star. Honey grinned when his name was called; Mori just looked on with an impassive face, as usual. Karou gave Aiko an impish grin while Hikaru continued to ignore the goings on.

"And our Natural," Tamaki went on, pulling Haruhi into his side, "is our resident cutie Haruhi!" From then on it seemed that the Princely Tamaki Aiko had just met disappeared into some gushing fangirl and fawning all over Haruhi—the younger boy looked used to it, but still incredibly irritated. What made it even more strange was that Tamaki kept referring to himself as "Daddy."

It was then that Aiko came to one conclusion: Tamaki was an idiot.

For the first time since she'd stepped foot onto Ouran property, Aiko felt her lips draw back into a quirky smile, something that seemed to fit her face better than the vaguely panicked expression she usually held there. It felt a little weird, to put it bluntly – there were long periods of time when she couldn't recall the last time she'd smiled like that.

Eventually, Haruhi managed to squirm out of Tamaki's grips, much to the latter' dismay. He was about to go off into a corner and sulk a bit, Aiko was sure of it, but Kyoya's voice stopped him.

"You don't have time to grow mushrooms in your corner today, I'm afraid. The guests are due to arrive any minute—and we already have one right in front of us."

Tamaki seemed to realize this as well, for he quickly straightened and preened. Clearing his throat, he tried to once again regain his composure. As far as Aiko was concerned, he wasn't about to get it back with her anytime soon. "Ahem—you're right, Kyoya. I apologize, Nakamura-hime-"

"_Aiko_," she interrupted, quick to shut down the princess business before it got out of hand. It was probably just her overactive imagination, but she thought she detected a hint of sarcasm when someone gave her such nicknames.

The Host Club all turned their gazes upon her as one, even Hikaru, though he pretended to check his nail beds. Kyoya actually laid down his pen to watch the goings-on.

Aiko cursed in her head at the rudeness she was displaying. Father wouldn't be happy if he heard of her acting so unladylike — neither would Yumi. That was the only adult in her life that could truly strike a shard of fear into Aiko's heart. "Um...I'm sorry for that, Tamaki-senpai," she apologized, going into a low bow. Her hair slid forward to hide the ashamed look on her face. "That was extremely rude of me to snap at you. But — I would prefer if you just referred to me as Aiko, or Aiko-san if you wish."

It was silent for a few heartbeats before she had the courage to look up from beneath her bangs. Expecting an insulted look on the blond's face, she was surprised to instead find a charmingly abashed one instead

Tamaki chuckled to himself before grabbing Aiko's wrist to bring her into a standing position; he bowed his head in return. "No, you're right to tell me with what you are comfortable being called, Aiko. I am in the wrong this time."

"Oh." That had turned out better than expected — Tamaki was surprisingly chastened for someone who obviously came from a very wealthy and notable family. "Thank you."

"Now, if you'll please excuse us, I think I hear our other customers beginning to arrive at the door." Tamaki flashed a charming grin her way before stepping back and again sitting himself upon the chair. At some unknown signal, the others began to gather around and behind the chair, Mori in the back with Honey perched on his shoulder with Haruhi standing to the left of Tamaki's chair. Even the twins vaulted from their sofa to take up their spots next to Mori. Kyoya simply scooted over until his spot was clear: the right side of Tamaki's chair.

Haruhi cleared his throat to catch Aiko's attention, then gestured his hand for her to move from in front the door. Nodding, more than a bit confused, she backed away a good distance to where she wouldn't be noticed, but could look upon everything easily.

The doors opened much the same as they had with her, except this time, Aiko knew the girls were seeing the Host Club in their prime instead of scattered around. "Welcome, ladies." They even spoke in perfect unison, looking pristine in their uniforms and possessed a somewhat god-like air about themselves. It both awed and frustrated Aiko that they could act so well.

With much shuffling of dresses and hushed giggling, the multitude of girls made their way inside the music room.

Kyoya was the first to break away from the rest of the Host Club as he stepped forward with clipboard ready and smile dazzling. More than one girl among the trope swooned, which Aiko couldn't exactly blame them; when Kyoya was in the zone, he was just as charming and handsome as any of the Host Club.

While the girls lined up in front of Kyoya, the rest of the club made their way to designated spots among the decorated chairs and lounges set about the room. As time went on those extra spots filled up with the frilled yellow dresses of the female population of Ouran, being awed and wooed with much blushing and swooning.

It was very entrancing, and very much out of Aiko's comfort zone.

She could feel her heart thumping loud enough to be heard over the general murmurs of the club activities and it felt like there wasn't enough air in the room. If she'd known there would be_ this _many people coming...

_I think it's time I was leaving._ No one had come to check on her for some time and Aiko was beginning to feel very much like an intruder on the perfect setting that was the Host Club. So, getting a better grip on her school bag, Aiko made her way towards the door as silently as possible. She'd just grabbed a hold of the door handle when a cool voice spoke from behind-

"It seems my assumption was correct, Nakamura-san."

Aiko whirled around in surprise, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process. There stood Kyoya, looking for all the world like a king of death and shadows. His eyeglasses glinted with evil intent.

"K-Kyoya-senpai," Aiko breathed, caught. "I-I was just..."

"Sneaking out unnoticed before you were remembered by any of the hosts," he finished for her.

She flushed. "W-Well, it's just..." Kyoya looked at her with an unreadable expression. "M-My driver will b-be expecting me...a-and I have a lot of work to catch up on...so if y-you would exc-cuse me-"

"Oh, I'm not the one who'll be sorry if you leave so soon." At Aiko perplexed look, Kyoya motioned with his head towards a grouping of plush couches and chairs. She followed his line of sight and felt her heart sink in her chest. Honey was telling an apparently riveting tale, for his guests were watching him in speechless anticipation.

Kyoya jotted something down in his notebook. "I'll simply tell him that you had an important meeting with your father you realized you were late to. He'll understand, but he won't exactly be pleased to know his personal guest walked out without saying goodbye first."

If he'd wanted to make Aiko feel guilty by her acute dislike of crowds of any kind, he was doing well. "I-I'm sorry, Kyoya-senpai, I just..." The words got caught in her throat; Aiko ducked her head and disappeared out the door. And just in time, too.

"Kyo-chan!"

Honey bounded up next to Kyoya, looking up at him confusedly. "Kyo-chan, have you seen Aiko-chan? She never came to sit down with me or Takashi. Is something wrong?"

The Shadow King looked down at his senpai. Those big brown eyes stared back. He cleared his throat, opening up the notebook in his hands and writing something down. "She, unfortunately, had a family emergency, Honey-senpai. But she asked me to apologize on her behalf for not being able to say goodbye first."

Honey looked down, slightly disappointed. "Oh. Did she say if she was coming back tomorrow?"

"No." Kyoya pushed his glasses up on his nose, turning away. "Maybe you could get one of the twins or Haruhi to..._persuade_ her again." And with that said, he walked away to go finish entertaining his own guests for the day, leaving Honey to look at the door sadly.

* * *

Aiko ran down the hallways and out of Ouran, and didn't stop until she'd gotten to her father's limo that was waiting at the curb for her. She didn't even wait for the driver to come around the side and open her door before jumping in and putting on her seat belt.

"M-Miss Nakamura," Mako stammered, alarmed. "Is everything alright? Did something happen-?"

"Please, Mako; just take me home." There must have been something in her tone that kept the grizzled old driver form asking anymore questions. He just nodded and drove away from the school.

Aiko laid her forehead against the window, feeling exhausted. She hoped Kyoya kept his promise and didn't tell Honey the truth; she wouldn't be able to face the excitable boy.

* * *

The drive back to the Nakamura estate was as uneventful as leaving it this morning; Aiko was in a droll mood by the time Mako opened her door and helped her out of the limo. She thanked him and told him to take the rest of the day off. Without waiting for a reply, she started up the long drive towards her home.

She ignored the maids that gathered around her worriedly when she entered the foyer, just saying that she would be up in her room for the rest of the night. The maids simply watched her go up the stairs with disquieted expressions.

It was a relief to Aiko to kick off her shoes and flop face first onto her wonderfully soft bed. A muffled moan escaped her lips.

Before she could get nice and comfortable, however, a knock sounded at her door. Yumi poked her head through and tsked. "Now, young miss, is this anyway for a young lady to act? Arriving home late and then refusing to eat even a snack after a long day at school?" If the middle-aged woman expected a response, she got none. With a small sigh, Yumi opened the door the rest of the way, bending down to pick up Aiko's discarded school bag. "I assume today wasn't what you'd hoped?" she asked, placing the bag on Aiko's cluttered desk.

Something like "Basically" came from Aiko's prone figure. Yumi tutted again.

"I'm not good with all that mumbling, Aiko-kun. You'll have to speak up if you ever want to have a decent conversation with someone." The maid made her way out the room, but turned back right before she closed the door. "I'll have someone come fetch you for dinner." With that, she shut the door, leaving Aiko to her thoughts.

* * *

As the last guest left out of Music Room #3, Tamaki called the club in for a brief meeting.

"Very good job today, everyone. The ladies that came in today left satisfied and feeling like the princesses they are." He gave them a quick thumbs-up.

Honey looked down at the floor. "Not everyone, Tama-chan." All eyes turned towards the usually upbeat senior. "Aiko-chan left the club early."

This news seemed to have a negative effect on Tamaki. "What?" he demanded. "B-But why? I thought you were her host for the day, Honey-senpai."

"No, she wasn't." Honey looked downright miserable. "Kyoya said she had a family emergency, so that's why she left."

Now, all eyes turned towards the Shadow King, who was sitting at a nearby table, punching in the profits of the day into his calculator. At the sudden silence, he looked up, met with the questioning gazes of the Host Club. Sighing, he fixed his glasses on his nose. "Yes, Nakamura-san seemed to be in a particular rush to leave the club, but she did ask me to apologize for not saying goodbye to Honey before leaving."

While Tamaki continued to question and lament to Kyoya, Haruhi turned to Honey. "I'm sorry, Honey-senpai. I'm sure she felt bad about having to leave so soon."

Honey nodded, hugging his pink bunny closer. Suddenly, a light bulb went off over his head, and Honey grinned. On a child, it would have seemed like an excited smile. But looking at him as a high school senior, Haruhi decided, it managed to take on a slightly wicked appearance.

"Hey, Haru-chan?" Haruhi blinked down at him. "Do you think you could do a favor for me?"

* * *

Once again, thanks for the love and I hope this chapter pleased you! It's not as long as the first, but I feel like I did a good job describing everything and everyone in such a short chapter, haha. If the others seem a little out of character, please let me know in a review or PM so I may fix them up!

Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!


	3. Cry Me A River

A/N: This chapter is being posted a few hours ahead of schedule, which can be considered both good and bad. Anyway, I wanted to give another thank you to everyone who favorited/followed this story so far! Also a _very_ big thanks to **Kang Mina** and **LoveYourself845** for being my reviewers for chapter two. You guys are awesome. What makes me so happy is the fact that I've gotten 145 hits on this story in just two weeks! If I could give you guys cookies (real ones) for being so awesome, I would!

Enjoy this chapter, everyone!

_Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters, places, and events are _not_ mine. They all belong to the creator, the very wonderful and talented Bisco Hatori! This piece of fiction does not profit from anyone and I do not receive anything but happiness that my fic might be read by y'all._

* * *

THREE

True to his word, Manabu Nakamura didn't return to his home until much later that evening; Aiko had already had her dinner and showered and was in her room attempting to do her math homework when he knocked on her door.

"Come in!"

Manabu opened the door, closing it softly behind him. Aiko thought he looked just as tired as she felt, and probably much more. But he put on a kind smile for his daughter as he walked to her bedside.

"How's my princess doing? Did you have a good first day of school?" he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Aiko nodded, though she didn't exactly meet his eyes, and kept herself from cringing at the 'princess' part. "Yeah. It was...interesting." Well, that wasn't a total lie, at least. Her father didn't seem to notice.

"That's good to hear. I'm glad you're adjusting well to Ouran. It's the best school in Japan in nearly everything." He paused. "Did you meet any new people? Make some friends? Some boys, perhaps...?"

_"Father!"_ Aiko felt the blood pool into her cheeks.

Manabu seemed to find her reaction hilarious, letting out a large, full-bellied laugh. He grunted as he pushed himself to his feet. "I'm only teasing, Aiko." He leaned down and planted a kiss to the top of her head. "Make sure you get some sleep tonight, dear."

"I will," she mumbled, still blushing furiously. Her father made his way to the door, pausing as he put a hand on the knob.

He turned around, a tired smile on his face. "I'll be late again tomorrow, so don't wait up for me, okay?" Aiko nodded once, and then her dad was gone.

Looking back down at her scattered math homework, Aiko decided that she wasn't getting anywhere in deciphering them, and started putting it back into her bag. She'd look at it again before it was time to turn it in.

* * *

The twins didn't speak with Aiko the next day in class, or even the day after that; Karou would sneak in a few glances when he walked in, but Haruhi was really the only one that seemed able to hold a steady conversation with her. Not that Aiko really minded, but she felt disgruntled—being disliked was not something she was comfortable with.

Aiko's mood went south by the end of the second day, but not because of the twins or of her worry of seeing Honey again (she'd been purposefully avoiding the blond senior for obvious reasons). Her homework for math was due the next day and Aiko was no closer to finishing it than the first day she'd gotten it. It was just so _complicated_. Functions and equations and complex roots and imaginary numbers—if there was such a thing as _imaginary _numbers, then it was no reason she was falling behind so quickly!

_Maybe if I ask Father to help me_, was one brief thought that went through her head before being quickly dismissed. Manuba had much more important work to do than helping his daughter with her first year math homework. Besides that, if she even let slip that there was a _possibility _that Aiko was falling behind in one of her classes, that would the greatest humiliation for both her and her father.

Aiko's father had made it explicitly clear to her that she needed to keep up with what the class was learning while also finishing up the assignments she'd missed to keep her ranking. One failed class and she'd be shoved into 1-B faster than you could say "Gotcha."

"It took me a lot of favors to get you into school so late in the year, sweetheart," her father had said, tone stern. It was one of the few times he'd ever talked to her about his business in such a way. "And I would hate for them to ruin your potential by having you bumped down to the 1-B class. So...just try hard, okay?" Then he'd softened his tone and put a comforting hand on her head as if to say, _No pressure._

Of course, Aiko would never have told her father _no_. This was her big chance to prove that she was done with boarding schools (especially the all-girl ones) and ready to act like a true heiress to her father's business. But there _was _pressure; an insane amount because she knew a lot was riding on her shoulders because of the favors he'd pulled.

Aiko was clumsy by nature; but pondering over her possible failure distracted her from normally automatic acts such as paying attention to where she was walking, therefore causing the probability of her clumsiness to increase dramatically. Which was why she somehow managed to find herself walking into the wrong classroom after lunch—or rather, she _assumed_ it was a classroom. The lights were dimmed dramatically making the only illumination the many candles and torches lining the walls.

She blinked at the sudden gloom. _What kind of room is this?_ She wondered.

She didn't have to wait long, apparently. A shadow seemed to detach itself from the wall behind her and ghosted to just behind her shoulder without her knowing: "Welcome to the Black Magic Club."

A frightened shriek escaped her lips before either one knew what was happening. They stumbled back from each other; Aiko landed on her butt, thankfully on something soft.

"_Belzeneff!_" the shadow cried out, hands stretched out towards Aiko. His voice made her wince; she guessed it was a boy, at least.

"Um...n-no," she stammered. "My name i-is N-Nakamura."

"No, not _you_!" He pointed at the floor beneath her bottom. _"Belzeneff."_

Was this a curse? No—he seemed to be describing the name of the soft thing Aiko was sitting on. Reaching a hand beneath her, Aiko pulled out what felt like a piece of cloth; then she flipped it over and the face of a cat stared back up at her. She let loose another exclamation and tossed the puppet-thing back towards the shadow. He dove to catch it, like it was the most precious thing in the world.

Then he proceeded to nuzzle it against his cheek and murmur to it, causing the original creepiness of the situation to rise to a new high.

While that was going on, Aiko silently crawled around the shadow figure and back to the door, slipping out as fast as she could. The light caused her to blink several times as her eyes adjusted.

She must have still looked freaked out entering her next class, because Haruhi seemed concerned when he asked if she was okay. Aiko just nodded and muttered something about cats.

Haruhi's eyebrows raised, but he didn't press. "Um, okay. Anyway, Aiko, I wanted to know if you'd like to come attend Host Club after school today? Honey is insistent that you return for a proper visit."

Aiko's disturbed expression morphed into an indecisive one. "Haruhi, really, you've asked me to come back the past two days. It...It looked like you have plenty of customers without me being added in..."

"No, you wouldn't be intruding on anything," he insisted, and actually sounded sincere about it. Aiko was a bit surprised at the pleading look Haruhi gave her, very similar to Honey's when he'd asked her that first day. As if he truly wished for her to be there... "Mori-senpai and Tamaki-senpai are also wondering if you'll be coming back."

Now, those words left Aiko blinking, stunned. _Tamaki _had inquired over her possible return to the club? _Mori_ as well? Well, Tamaki, though her senpai, acted more like a puppy that would pee if he got too excited; and Mori was just so..._impassive_ about everything that went on around him. Aiko was sure the guy had feelings and just spoke when he felt the need to say something, but still. To know that both boys had wondered about her caused a very mixed reaction in her stomach – like butterflies and hornets were having an all out war in her gut.

"H-Haruhi, I-" Aiko tried to reply, but the teacher walked in at that moment, prompting everyone to quiet down and get out their textbooks. Haruhi threw a look over his shoulder like _'Finish your thought later'_ before going off to his own seat behind Aiko. She didn't even have to look around to know that Hikaru and Karou were already seated — the aura radiating from Hikaru was enough to make Aiko's anxiety rise a bit.

Even if Honey, Mori, Haruhi, _and_ Tamaki wanted her to return to the Host Club, the twins (or more specifically, Hikaru) wouldn't exactly welcome her with open arms. And Kyoya just creeped her out, him _and_ his mysterious notebook.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that Aiko didn't even notice the teacher calling her name until he rapped his knuckles on her desk. Aiko twitched, blinking several times as the class tittered around her, happy that it was not them getting scolded by the teacher.

"Miss Nakamura, I assure you that if you're feeling ill, you only have to ask to go to the nurse's office," her teacher told her, frowning in disapproval. "She's bound to have a medicine that can cure a daydreaming mind."

Aiko's face flushed at the reprimand, ducking her head while the other students snickered at her expense. There was enough whispering going around that Aiko could hear every word spoken, but she didn't react to it. "I-I-I'm sorry, Sens-sei. P-Please continue w-w-w-with t-the les-son. I p-p-promise it w-won't hap-p-pen ag-gain." Her flustered stammering only encouraged the whispers to increase.

The teacher looked down at Aiko with a scowl. "You'll do well to insure that it doesn't, Miss Nakamura." With that, he walked back up to the front of the class, and everyone's heads eventually turned back towards him; Aiko made sure to listen this time as he spoke. "Now, with that interruption out of the way, Miss Nakamura—I asked you to come up to the board and solve the problem we were going over before."

_Of all the rotten luck_. Now he was just deliberately trying to embarrass her, it seemed. Aiko's face, already red, grew even more so, until the very tips of her ears were on fire. "Y-Yes, Sensei."

Standing from her desk, Aiko made her way to the board, eyes cast downwards to avoid the shrewd gazes of her classmates. They traveled up to the problem on the board — and Aiko's heart sank to the pit of her stomach. Now it seemed the Fates were just having a hoot with making her life miserable, for this was the one question on the worksheet that she had no idea what to do (the others she'd managed somehow). For a long moment, Aiko just stood there, disheartened, before picking up the chalk and raising her shaking fingers to the board.

Not a soul spoke as Aiko attempted to solve the problem — judging from the atmosphere behind her, she wasn't solving it correctly. At all.

Her hand was still shaking as she put the chalk back into its holder and stepped away from the board.

Her teacher pursed his lips into a thin line. "You may sit down Miss Nakamura," was all he said.

Aiko nodded quickly and shuffled back to her desk. The toe of her foot caught the edge of the desk and she stumbled, but managed to catch herself before taking a full face plunge into the ground. As it was, the entire class erupted into hushed giggles and whispers once more. Aiko fled to her desk, face flaming and hiding behind her hair. She just wished she could hide under her desk.

As the teacher went on to explain everything Aiko got wrong on the problem (and there was a quite a few spots), she resolutely stared at the page in her textbook, fighting the urge to smack her forehead against it — repeatedly.

Her relief was almost tangible when the bells rang throughout the school, signaling the end of the day. Before Haruhi could try to approach the still red-faced girl, she was walking out the door and into the crowded hallway, painfully aware of the stares on her back and hushed conversations following her. It was a great comfort to see Mako waiting patiently next to the limo, ready to take her home. She nodded to him, settling into the plush seats of the luxury car, suddenly very tired.

"Are you alright, Nakamura-san?" Mako asked from his driver's seat. His kind eyes gazed at Aiko from the rear view mirror. "Did something happen at school today?"

Aiko almost wished she had the will to tell him. Instead, she shook her head. "I just need to take a nap, Mako. Please."

The ride home was silent as Aiko agonized over her failure in class that day, and dreading having to do the homework that night when she finished dinner.

* * *

Not surprisingly, her appetite was very small that night; Aiko merely picked at the curry in front of her, insisting that she was full. She retired to her room amidst the concerned glances of the maids and cooks.

Homework for her other classes finished quickly and with little struggle – until the math section, that is. It was a doomed attempt from the beginning, she knew, but still trudged her way through the problems until it was nearly midnight. Aiko tossed the work back into her backpack, dismayed at how little she understood and not looking forward to walking into class the next morning.

Aiko slept restlessly, and woke feeling worse than when she went to bed. The fact that the clouds were blocking out the sun and it looked like the chance of rain drastically dropped her mood as well. When she walked down the stairs, Yumi stopped her in her tracks, frowning.

"Now, what's with this attitude, young miss?" she demanded, arching a brow. "I know that you aren't a morning person—heaven knows you got _that_ from your father—but you could at least attempt to smile. How are you going to expect to make any friends this way?"

"I don't," Aiko replied bluntly. There were bags under her eyes and a drag in her voice. All she wanted to do was take a curl into a ball under her blanket and sleep the rest of her life away. It was a much simpler idea than going to school and embarrassing herself any further.

Yumi sighed. "Your breakfast is waiting for you. Maybe some food will put a little life back in you." Aiko gave a short grunt before moving around the maid and making her way towards the kitchen. "Ladies don't grunt!" Yumi called out from behind.

Though Yumi was overbearing, she was usually right: the food did put Aiko a bit more at ease, though she was only able to nibble at the eggs Benedict prepared for her. The knots in her stomach refused to loosen, and she knew why.

On the drive to Ouran, Aiko forced herself to think about something other than her troubles in math. Somehow her thoughts went back to what her father had said the other night, about her meeting any boys at school; then further, back to when she'd been brought into the Host Club's room. It had crossed her mind to tell her father about the club, but knowing him, he'd make a huge deal about it and want to know all about the club and its members—he might even want to _meet_ them. Aiko tried to imagine what having the Host Club in her house would be like, but quickly shook her the thought away.

_Not good, _that's_ what it would be_, she thought to herself.

Mako helped her out of the limo and handed Aiko her school bag. "Will you need me to pick you up late today, Miss Nakamura?"

Mako had asked that ever since she'd showed up late her first day. She hesitated; unwillingly, Aiko's gaze traveled to the window that she knew housed the Music Room. A voice nagged at the back of her mind, but Aiko ignored it. "No, thank you, Mako. I'll be here at the regular time."

She waited until the limo had pulled off before making her way to the grounds. It was still a few hours before school officially began and only a few students could be seen walking among the polished grounds of Ouran. Only clubs ever met this early, and then only in the busy seasons, not the first month of school. The quiet was a welcome change in Aiko's opinion; it meant she could walk among the sakura trees with no distractions.

Finding a rather restful spot near the fountains, Aiko took out her unfinished math homework and attempted to try to make some sense from it. If she'd thought a good night's rest would help clear her mind and focus better, Aiko was seriously mistaken. It all still looked like gibberish to her.

With a resigned sigh, Aiko began put away her math; she hadn't even made semblance of a dent in it. _That's what I get for not paying attention in class_, she thought irritably.

"Nakamura Aiko, right?" The suddenness of the voice nearly sent Aiko backwards into the fountain. She looked around for a moment, trying to discern the source of the voice. It belonged to a girl dressed in the canary yellow that Ouran girls had to wear, which meant she was a student. And she _did_ seem somewhat familiar to Aiko...

Clearing her throat, Aiko stood up and brushed off the back of her skirt to have something to distract her. "Um, yes, that's me. May I wonder who's asking?"

The girl in front of her smiled, but it wasn't kind. It was chilly as the frost on Aiko's windows in the winter. "I'm Akihito Nijimi of class 1-A."

So the girl _was _a familiar face; she was in Aiko's class. Blinking, Aiko bent from her waist to bow to the girl. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Akihito-san. I-Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Truly, there could be no other reason for this girl to personally seek out Aiko if there wasn't something on her mind.

Nijimi's smile, if anything, turned even colder and more menacing. She took several steps forward. "Yes, actually, Nakamura-san. There are few things I'd like to get off of my chest." Aiko waited, holding her breath. "Your father. He's in the management business, correct?"

Her question confused Aiko. "Well, yes."

"And he's a rather highly influential man, is he not?"

Again with this strange line of questioning. "I suppose so," Aiko answered, though she was a bit more hesitant to do so. _What is this girl getting at?_

Nijimi brushed back a curl from her face. "So then I'm probably correct in saying that it was only because of his influence that you were able to come to Ouran so late in the year—and for getting you into class 1-A as well. In other words, Nakamura: you don't belong here."

Aiko's jaw had gone slack; that chilled little smirk of Nijimi's quickly turned into a smug jeer.

Aiko managed to find her voice again. "I-I don't understand-"

"What is there not to understand, Nakamura-san?" Nijimi questioned, one eyebrow arching up. She took a few more steps closer to Aiko, who realized that it was very similar to how a tiger cornered its prey. "While it's not uncommon for students to use their parents' funds and influence to get into this school, your case is extremely peculiar. I mean, not only is this your first time at a non-boarding school, but there's something about you that just doesn't sit well at Ouran Academy. And I'm sure that I don't have to bring up what happened in class yesterday to prove my point." She gave Aiko another chilled smile. The closer Nijmi got, the more Aiko wanted to disappear underneath the sheets on her bed.

_It's like she's able to read every insecurity in my brain—picking it clean like a lice-comb. _Aiko had nowhere to go as Nijmi continued her advance.

"This is the wrong school for you to be at, Nakamura-san. Everyone has realized this already, though it's only been a few days since your entering._ You don't belong here_." Nijmi's smirk fell, her lip curling in distaste, as if Aiko had a bad smell around her. "And trust me when I say that the Host Club will quickly lose interest with you very soon. Right now, you're just a shiny new toy for them to play with—but once they see how useless you are...well, it won't be very long until that happens. You'll see for yourself."

Nijimi let her eyes flick once more over Aiko, smirking once again. "Have a nice day, Nakamura-san. See you in class." Then she turned and walked away as silently as she appeared.

* * *

_You don't belong here._

_ You solely depended on you father..._

_ Ouran is not where you belong._

_ She's right—I don't belong here._

Somewhere along Aiko's thought process, that nagging, doubtful voice in her head somehow changed from Nijimi Akihito's voice and into her own.

Aiko hardly noticed when the other students began to flock into the classroom, she was so lost in her thoughts. After the confrontation with the cold girl, Aiko had stayed next to the fountain for a few more minutes trying to come to terms with what had just happened. She'd gathered her bags and in some way had wandered into her first class of the day; the teacher had walked in a few minutes later, starting in surprise.

She hadn't looked up once since entering until a familiarly friendly voice spoke her name.

"Good morning, Aiko," Haruhi greeted the somber first year. Aiko mumbled out the semblance of a "Hello." Haruhi looked at her—_really _looked at her.

"Aiko, is everything alright?" he asked.

Aiko looked down at her desk, clenching her jaw slightly. Against her will, her gaze shifted over to where she knew Nijimi was sitting, looking like the prime example of what was the standard of young ladies at Ouran. Their eyes met and Nijimi gave Aiko a sardonic flitter of the fingers. Mocking her.

Haruhi was still waiting, eyes wide and concerned. "I'm...I'm fine, Haruhi." Aiko didn't like lying, even less so to the first person who'd ever been nice to her.

Haruhi didn't look like he believed her. "Are you _sure_, Aiko? I know that some of the students aren't exactly welcoming to new students, so-"

"Really, Haruhi, I'm fine." Aiko wracked her brain to find some way out of the current topic of conversation. "The weather has...just made me a bit grumpy this morning." She tacked on a strained smile on the end. It wasn't a lie, not really — overcast days _did_ take a toll on Aiko's mood. Especially when she already in such a dour one to begin with.

"Well-" Haruhi began, still hesitant to let the subject drop. "Okay. But you know that if you feel any worse, you can always get some help from the nurse."

Aiko's smile this time came a bit more naturally. "Thank you, Haruhi, but I'll get by somehow."

The two talked for a bit longer on their classes and the various assignments that Aiko still had to make up. The more they talked, the more Aiko came to relax into her chair; she even let out a few chuckles. She was just admitting the extent of her horrid math work when two synchronized voices broke into her thoughts.

"Morning, Haruhi." Hikaru and Karou appeared on the side of the boy's desk, looking decidedly bored before the class had even begun.

"Oh, hi, guys," Haruhi answered, while Aiko fell silent.

For a few heartbeats, the twins just stood there, looking at her—well, Karou was. Hikaru was pretending like he wasn't. The tension was thick enough for her to cut it with a knife. It'd been that way for the past three days, and Aiko had reached her limit—if Hikaru wanted to go on and hate her, he was justified in doing so. But that didn't mean she had to ignore Karou. He seemed the nicer of the two, anyways, and it didn't feel like he had any ill will towards her (and it was the only way she could tell the two apart to be honest). She took a deep breath before raising her eyes to meet Karou's and forcing a polite smile onto her face. "Good morning, Karou-san." She hesitated before adding, "Good morning, Hikaru-san."

Both twins eyes widened (Hikaru had finally deigned to look at Aiko) in something like surprise. Haruhi glanced between the two, then at Aiko, then back to the twins.

Something like an amused smirk grew on Karou's face. "Good morning to you, too, Aiko-san," he finally said, even going so far as to bow slightly.

Relief spread through Aiko like a warm cup of tea. At least _one _twin would speak to her.

Aiko switched her gaze to Hikaru, who was watching her with an unreadable expression. She felt the nape of her neck warm slightly; her hands fidgeted in her lap.

There was a bit more silence before Hikaru seemed to decide on something. Though he didn't smile or smirk like his brother, he did dip his head in Aiko's direction. "And to you, Aiko-san." He turned on his heel and slipped into his desk next to Haruhi just as the bells chimed. First period had begun.

Karou flashed one more grin Aiko's way before taking his seat on Haruhi's other side. The class went by without too much excitement (the lecture was boring and Aiko didn't hear the majority of it) but by the time the second period chimes sounded, Aiko was feeling just a bit better.

* * *

"I'm proud of you, Hikaru," Haruhi said as the first year trio made their way to the refectory hall. Said twin had his head turned towards the walls, but looked at Haruhi out of the corner of his eyes. "You really put a mature face on when you greeted Aiko-san this morning."

Karou put a hand to his mouth to stifle the laughter that threatened to escape. "Yeah, Hikaru. I'm sure she felt welcomed by the way you smiled."

Hikaru scoffed at his twin. "Well, she looked scared enough to wet herself when she said good morning as it was. And you were no help either; what was with that bow?"

Puffing his chest up, Karou put a hand on his chest as if he were proclaiming something great. "Like m'lord says, 'As a member of the Host Club, it is my duty to make sure each and every girl feels special about herself.' Isn't that right, Haruhi?"

"Don't mention him when I'm around, Karou," Haruhi muttered, casting a few glances around. "You know he's got some kind of special hearing wherever his name is involved. And I don't feel like being coddled in front of everyone right now."

While Karou laughed and Haruhi continued to rant on about Tamaki, Hikaru let his mind wander. His thoughts ended up going back to that morning, when Aiko had greeted him, despite his obvious intention of ignoring her.

_She's __got some guts, I'll give her that_, he mused. _Not exactly the shy girl from __her first day__, nor the one who pushed me._ Hikaru's mood went a little sour at the reminder of the rebuff. _I've never been pushed away by a girl before—well, unless you count Haruhi. _Letting his eyes slide over to the girl, Hikaru let out a breath through his nose.

The look that Aiko had when she pushed him, though: it wasn't mean and lacked any malicious intent towards him. She'd seemed as surprised as _he_ was when she pushed his hand away. _No_, he went on, _those eyes were more...defiant, I guess. Like she was standing up for herself._

Unbidden, Aiko's voice echoed throughout Hikaru's thoughts: _I am _not _your toy. Not yours, or anyone else's._

Which meant she'd been called a toy before coming to Ouran, if he'd deduced that correctly. Had she been bullied before?

The silence coming from Hikaru's direction made Haruhi tug on his sleeve. He gave a start and glanced down at her. "Hikaru, what's wrong with you? You're being quiet—_too_ quiet for someone like you."

Hikaru sniffed, pulling his arm from Haruhi's grip. "There's nothing the matter with me, Haruhi. Let's hurry up; I'm hungry." With that said, he stalked off towards the refectory, leaving his brother and friend to stare at his back, bewildered.

* * *

Aiko managed to finish her math homework during lunch, though she hardly ate anything from her bento box as a result. The gurgling in her stomach was worth it, though, she decided as they passed in their homework. It meant that she'd at least get participation points on the assignment, though she wasn't so sure about accuracy.

When the teacher had collected all the homework, he turned to the class and cleared his throat. "Class, I have a meeting to attend at this time; I have left your assignment for today on the board and expect it to be finished and turned in before the end of the day. If you have any questions, please ask one of your neighbors."

Murmuring rose up between the students. Did he really mean it? A whole class period to themselves? And no math lecture? It was like a dream come true.

"_How_ever," he continued. The whole class went silent. "I will have the teacher down the hall check in on you periodically to make sure you aren't slacking off." With one last stern look, the teacher grabbed his coat and briefcase and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

There were a few beats of silence before the class erupted into conversation.

Aiko's heart had lifted at the beginning of the teacher's speech, but quickly sunk at the assignment described on the board. _Fifty-two _problems to complete in the textbook; her eyes quickly ran over the pages of problems and her happiness evaporated. Most of them had close to three sections _per _problem.

"You have _got _to be kidding me," she groaned to herself. Her eyes shut in defeat at the task set before her. She was going to fail at this rate.

Aiko looked around at the other students to see how they were taking the news. While a few looked just as heartbroken at the assignment, the majority of the class were already solving the problems with supposed ease, even Nijmi. Aiko felt a pang of jealousy.

So, in more than one way, Akihito was right—Aiko never would have even gotten the entrance examination had it not been for her father.

Her gaze drifted back to the textbook and blank paper in front of her; Aiko scowled. _So much for being ahead of everyone else_, she thought bitterly.

By the time Aiko was even half-way done, most of the class period had gone by; a majority of the kids had finished, too, and were chatting in neutral tones; even Haruhi was reading some book he'd had in his bag. The twins had been the first to finish their work (a feat which shocked Aiko to some extent—they didn't seem like math-whizzes to her) and had played on their Nintendos for the rest of the time. Aiko envied them.

More than once as she plowed through the assignment did Aiko notice the looks sent her way by Nijimi; the girl looked positively smug at the way Aiko struggled to finish her work.

Aiko was just about ready to give up on it all when a voice coming from her right ear startled her out of her reverie. "Oh no, you're doing that problem all wrong," said one of the twins.

"You can't add that three there, it throws everything off," the other patronized into her left ear.

Their sudden appearance extracted a quiet squeak of surprise; Aiko's cheeks flushed from embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry...what?" She was lost to what they were saying.

The twin on her right (she guessed it was Karou, but wasn't truly sure) gave Aiko a look that seemed to question her sanity. "Weren't you listening to us at all? We're trying to tell you that you've done this problem all wrong."

From her other side, Hikaru clucked his tongue—an action that was irritatingly similar to the way Yumi did so. "With the rate you're going, you're never going to finish the assignment in time to turn it in at the end of class." Against Aiko's stuttered protest, he pulled the pencil from her hand and proceeded to erase the work from the current problem. "Now, if you'd been paying attention in class yesterday, you'd have known that you're supposed to take these numbers and divide them by the sum of this equation-"

Aiko watched Hikaru's hand as it went through the problem on the paper in no time at all; Karou pitched in a couple of hints as well. They did the same thing for a few more problems until Aiko only had half a page of problems left to do. For the first time during the class, Aiko felt like some of the numbers were making sense.

"I...I think I got it now. Maybe." She spoke hesitantly, not too confident in her knowledge yet.

Karou raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Really? Well, why don't you do the next problem by yourself, then?"

Hikaru handed her the pencil back. Aiko didn't meet his eyes. Gnawing on the skin of her bottom lip (a habit Yumi was forever trying to get her to quit- "What young man in his right mind would want to kiss lips that are half-chewed off, I'd want to know.") she started on the next problem. Though the twins had to correct her a couple of times, she finished in half the time she normally would by herself.

Aiko's eyes went wide as she sat there, stunned. "I did it. I got the right answer."

A cough from Hikaru drew her attention his way. "Well, you managed to get the right answer with our help-"

"-and we could continue helping you if you'd want," Karou finished.

The offer had Aiko blinking at them, like she hadn't heard them correctly. "You mean like..._tutor_ me?"

"If you'd want to call it that—then yes," they replied together, even matching impish grins on their faces.

This sudden kinship the two were starting with her alone would have made Aiko hesitate to accept the offer. But looking into those eyes, she could tell there was a big "but" coming up. Eying the two skeptically, Aiko asked, "Really? What's the catch?"

They shared a hurt look. "Why Aiko-san, we're offended you'd think that lowly of us," Hikaru intoned.

"Yeah." Karou had a pout on his face that made some girl next to Aiko swoon in her chair. "We can't help the new student in class keep from failing because of the goodness in our hearts?"

Aiko stared at them.

Hikaru sighed. "Alright, fine. We do have one condition in tutoring you."

_Knew it. _"What condition would that be?"

Each twin brought up a finger to point at her, announcing grandly, for all the class to hear, "You have to come to the Host Club!"

The air seemed to evaporate from Aiko's lungs. Without even looking she knew that all eyes were riveted on her and the twins, more hard glares than just common interest. When she did tear her eyes from the twins', the first menacing glare she met came from none other than Nijimi. The dark-haired girl flared her nostrils in anger. Aiko didn't—and wouldn't—have to look around to know that the other girls in class probably looked the same.

The twins were waiting for her to say something; the class was waiting with bated breath. Aiko opened her mouth to respond when a much louder and authoritative voice spoke from the doorway.

"Hitachiin brothers!" All eyes swiveled to see the teacher from down the hall. Aiko didn't know her name, but she definitely knew the twins. "Why are you harassing this student? Shouldn't you have work of your own do?"

If Aiko assumed the twins would retaliate with some smart-aleck comment, she was disappointed. "Yes, sensei. We're sorry," they apologized, bowing.

Their immediate condolence seemed to also shock the teacher. "Well, um, right. Good. See to it that you finish." She left more bewildered than when she came in.

"Now that _she's_ gone-" the twin on the right said.

"-what's your answer, Aiko-san?" the other one finished.

Aiko realized they were back to staring at her. It felt like her throat had closed up; she couldn't seem to get any words out of her mouth. "A-Actually...I have s-something at home that needs my at-ttention after school—and I've already been to the Host Club-"

Hikaru held a finger and Aiko fell silent. "Yes, you did."

Karou held up two fingers. "But you didn't stay the entire afternoon."

They both held up three fingers. "And you didn't designate any host, so even the little time you stayed there didn't count."

"Besides, you really hurt Honey-senpai's feelings by not saying goodbye," Haruhi added, appearing in front of Aiko's desk. He leveled a small frown Aiko's way. "He wants you to come back again today to enjoy yourself this time; and so does Mori and the Tamaki-senpai."

Aiko looked down at her desk. "I-I didn't mean for Honey-senpai to feel bad. Honest. I just couldn't—I had to-" She couldn't admit to them that she was a coward who couldn't stand so many people in one room. It was a shameful thing to admit to, especially towards them.

Haruhi sighed. "Yeah, Kyoya told us why you had to leave, but that still doesn't mean it didn't sting a little that you didn't say goodbye."

She hung her head lower. Not only was she being called out by Haruhi, but he was doing so in front of the entire class. All around them were whispers and stares that put a rock in the pit of Aiko's stomach. "I'm sorry, Haruhi."

"Oh, he's not the one you need to apologize to, Aiko-san," Karou reminded her. "Honey-senpai is. And he'll be waiting for you to show up today."

Hikaru put a hand on Aiko's desk. "So what do you say? You come to the Host Club after school today—and stay the _entire_ afternoon—and we'll tutor you."

The room had fallen silent again. Aiko could hear the wind rustling through the sakura blossoms outside the windows. Haruhi and the twins watched her expectantly. "I...I just..." Aiko closed her eyes, suddenly exhausted. "I _can't_."

More than one girl in the room gasped.

"What do you mean you _can't_?" one of the twins demanded; this time, Aiko was sure it was Hikaru. He was the only twin who'd taken up that tone with her before. "It's a fantastic deal! Far better than one Kyoya would have offered you."

Aiko flinched back from the irritation in Hikaru's voice, but she didn't speak. Hikaru stood there for a while longer before huffing in anger and storming back to his seat. Karou and Haruhi followed in silence, but she could feel their disappointment in her. Honestly, Aiko was disappointed in herself as well.

_Nijimi was right_, she thought sadly. _Even the Host Club knows I'm too different—too abnormal to be at this school._

When the last bell rang for the day, Aiko lagged behind everyone else; she didn't want to have to walk through all the whispered insults and accusing stares of her classmates. The three from the Host Club had walked out without looking back at her, which hurt Aiko more than anything else. As she opened her locker to get the things she needed, someone passed behind her back and whispered, "I told you so."

Aiko turned her head around to see the back of Nijimi as she walked down the hallway, head high and steps proud. She was headed in the direction of the music room.

* * *

_"What do you mean she wouldn't come?" _Tamaki and Honey demanded when they were told the news.

"I mean exactly that, senpai," Haruhi replied, grunting as she dropped her school bag on the floor. "Aiko-san turned down our invitation."

"_And _our offer to help tutor her in math," Karou added from the back room where he and Hikaru were changing into their cosplay. It was Egyptian theme that day, so the music room was decorated to resemble the inside of a pharaoh's palace. The chairs had been switched with colorful futons and settees; the walls were draped in white linen embroidered in gold and purple. Beautiful golden busts and many antiquities were put on display around the room.

"Which was really dumb, if you ask me," Hikaru grumbled. "The girl _barely_ got a single problem right without our help."

Kyoya looked up from his notebook, frowning. For his part in the cosplay, he was dressed as the Pharaoh's adviser. He had dawned a white linen kilt with a loose sash going diagonally across his torso. Gold jewelry glinted on his wrists and neck, with beads braided into his hair extensions. "She's failing math?"

All eyes turned towards the boy wearing the glasses; even the twins poked their heads out of the dressing room to stare at him incredulously. _"What?"_ they demanded. Hikaru spoke alone: "The Shadow King doesn't know something about someone?"

Kyoya sighed, adjusting the position of his glasses irritably. "Don't call me that," he retorted. "And I knew that Aiko was bad at math—I wasn't aware that she was failing the class."

"Oh, not yet," Haruhi supplied, trying to get out of Tamaki's grip. He was hugging her tightly, cooing over how "his little girl looked so adorable in her costume." They had on matching costumes: Tamaki was the pharaoh, and Haruhi was the queen. Tamaki had also managed to get Haruhi hair extensions that went down into a long braid at the back. The pharaoh himself donned a leopard skin cape and fake pencil beard (where he got it from, Haruhi had no idea, nor how he stuck it on his face). "She turns in all her work on time, but that'll only get her along so far before her grade starts dropping."

"Hmm." Kyoya turned his head back to his notebook, writing something down. "And you say that the twins offered to tutor her in exchange for one day at the Host Club?"

"Exactly," Karou said, walking out of the dressing room. He was playing the part of the street merchant, wearing a kilt similar to Kyoya's, but with nothing to cover his torso. Gold bangles clinked against each other on his wrists and ankles. Sapphire inlaid earrings hung from his ears; his hair had extensions as well, but these were cut bluntly at his chin.

Hikaru walked out, dressed similarly to his twin, except his earrings were emeralds. He was scowling as he spoke. "You'd think she'd take a good deal like that. If she doesn't get a tutor, it's more likely she'll be bumped down to the class under us."

Honey watched the others talking, deeply saddened by what was being said. His plan had failed. They'd come up with it yesterday after the customers had all left. Basically, Haruhi (not the twins because Hikaru was still miffed about Monday's push) was to find out something Aiko needed help in (school work or not) and they would offer their services; in exchange, Aiko visited the Host Club for one afternoon, which would hopefully be enough to convince her to come back. But that was a bust now.

He didn't want Aiko to fail her math class—but he also wanted her to come to the Host Club to see him, and she was just too stubborn.

"Mitskuni."

The Lolita boy looked up at his taller, more stoic cousin. The two were dressed as palace guards, wearing tunics with braided belts cinched at the waits, holding up scabbards of scythes. The blades themselves were plastic, but looked real enough. "Yeah, I know, Takashi. She'll come when she's ready." Honey pouted. "But I wish Aiko-chan would just come already."

* * *

Aiko sunk into the plush seats of her father's limo, her head reeling with everything that had happened that day. She was sure the twins and Haruhi had told the other hosts everything by then; it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

On the drive home, she couldn't help but think of the earnest way the twins had tried to help her with her math problems, even before they'd struck up their deal. _They actually weren't that bad of teachers..._

_But_, Aiko thought as she trudged up the stairs to her room. _Hikaru hates me again and Karou doesn't do anything without his brother. So no math tutors for me._

When Yumi entered Aiko's room some time later, she found the girl similar to her first day: face down on her bed, looking pitiful. "Young miss, are you sure everything is going okay at your school?" the maid asked in a gentler tone. "I'm sure Mr. Nakamura would want to know if anything was troubling you."

"No, Yumi," Aiko sighed. She turned her head on the bed so the maid would actually hear her speak. "Don't tell my father; he doesn't need any needless worry with all the work he has right now. Nothing's going on at school, okay?"

Yumi looked like she didn't believe a single assurance coming from Aiko's mouth, but she nodded anyway. "Alright then, Aiko-san. I'll leave you until dinner." The maid shut the door behind her silently. _I wish the young miss would realize that her father would prefer she share any hardships she might be going through_, Yumi mused in her head. _They've grown so far apart since Mrs. Nakamura passed._

Up in her room, Aiko had stripped out of her yellow monstrosity and put on some more comfortable clothing. She curled up in her bed with a sketchpad and a pencil, hoping that a little designing would help ease her thoughts—at least for a little while.

But it didn't do any good. She'd barely put a few lines on the paper when Hikaru's expression swam into her mind's eye again, his eyes burning in irritation. Directed at her and her stupid fears.

Aiko tossed the pad to the side in disgust, not with it, but with herself. She picked up a pillow and hugged it to her chest, wishing for all the world that she could be someone who could stand to visit the Host Club—or any club, really—without running off or having a panic attack. Doleful eyes slid to her nightstand where a picture sat, showing the smiling face of her mother, Kokoro, taken about three months before she died.

She looked like the older, prettier version of Aiko, except her mother's hair was cut short at the chin. When Kokoro was alive and well, Aiko would find all kinds of reasons to give to her mother about why she couldn't go to school. And every time, Kokoro would give her that gentle smile and soothing hand to her cheek. "That's a good reason, Aiko," she'd murmur, "but do you want to hear a reason why you _should_ go to school? To show those girls that their words don't change who you are. And who you are is a beautiful girl with a big heart and a big smile to show the people who deserve it."

_But Mother,_ Aiko thought sadly. _What do I do when the person whose words are hurting me, _is _me?_

* * *

Another chapter has come and gone and it makes me hope you guys liked it! This is the longest chapter I've written up so far (close to 17 pages and just a bit over 8k words) and I hope it didn't overload y'all's brains or anything!

Until next week, friends! Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcomed!


	4. A New Plan?

A/N: Y'all are going to make me cry one of these days, I swear. So many lovely people have followed and favorited this story-it really means a lot, you have no idea! And again, thanks to **Kang Mina** for being a loyal reviewer of this story! I'll leave a little note for you at the end of the chapter, sweetie! Now this chapter is shorter than the previous one, but it's not a filler. In my opinion.

I hope you enjoy this chapter, everyone!

_Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters, places, and events are _not_ mine. They all belong to the creator, the very wonderful and talented Bisco Hatori! This piece of fiction does not profit from anyone and I do not receive anything but happiness that my fic might be read by y'all._

* * *

FOUR

"Good morning, Aiko."

Hazel eyes snapped up to meet the warm brown of Haruhi's gaze. Aiko blinked several times, like a child caught after trying to sneak in one more cookie before bed.

"Ah...good morning, Haruhi," she greeted the boy. He rewarded her with a gracious smile; Aiko felt the ends of her lips twitching upwards in response.

"You seem to be in a better mood today," Haruhi noted as he placed his bag on top of his desk. "Is it because the sky's cleared up today?" He glanced out the large bay windows pointedly. There was not a single dark cloud in the sky that morning, to which Aiko had happily noted when she'd woken up.

She allowed her smile to grow, but only slightly. "I suppose. I feel much better, though. Thank you for asking." Though it was a simple statement that probably didn't mean much on Haruhi's part, Aiko felt her spirits rise just a bit from the gloomy mood she'd been burdened with since yesterday.

_Even if Nijimi says that I'm just a toy to the Host Club right now_, she thought, smiling to herself, _it seems like Haruhi enjoys talking with me as a person outside of his club. Like a friend would do._

Haruhi, noticing the happiness in Aiko's features, assumed that it was only from her being correct about the weather. Either way, she was glad that Aiko was feeling better. The chronically shy girl was too pretty to frowning all the time. She chuckled as she took her seat in front of Aiko, spinning around in the chair so that they could continue their conversation.

"I also wanted to apologize for the way I acted yesterday." At Aiko's puzzled brow, Haruhi continued on. "After you turned down our offer to visit the Host Club again, I'm sure you felt like I was disappointed in you."

Aiko's eyes widened as embarrassment spread across her features; she waved her hands in front of her rapidly. "No, no, of course not! Well, I-I mean yes, but I'm not surprised or blaming you for anything, honestly. It's my fault for being such a let-down to you and Honey-senpai. So, you don't have to apologize."

Haruhi blinked. "What are you talking about? Of course I do. The way I acted was rude; I don't want to put you into a situation you're not comfortable in, Aiko, even if it means that you won't come to the Host Club." He paused for a moment to let those words sink in. "And I wasn't disappointed in you, I was disappointed in myself. The twins caused a scene yesterday and I could tell you were very embarrassed. So, I'm sorry for that."

His apology was so sincere that Aiko couldn't contradict him, even if she'd wanted to. Letting her hands fall on the desk, she chewed again on her bottom lip. "It's okay, Haruhi. I forgive you."

The seriousness in his face dissipated, leaving a pleased smile. Aiko could only marvel again at just how...well _pretty_ this boy was. And not in the way that Tamaki was pretty, with his purple eyes and prince-like blond hair. Haruhi was really, truly, _pretty_. All Aiko had to do was picture him with longer hair and a dress and Haruhi went from being a boy to a girl.

_But there's no way that could happen_, she stubbornly argued with herself. _Is there?_

A sudden thump from a bag being dropped on a desk knocked Aiko back into her senses. She turned her gaze from Haruhi (who'd been talking for who knows how long while Aiko was thinking) and up to where the twins were leaning on their friend's desk, prodding him and asking questions. Just seeing them made the bottom of Aiko's stomach drop.

It seemed like they'd gone back to ignoring her again. She mentally winced. And just after it'd seemed they'd finally be able to start over on the right foot—Aiko just seemed to mess up every friendship before it was even struck.

"Good morning, Aiko!" came a rather chipper voice—Karou if she wasn't mistaken. It had gotten a little easier to tell the two Hitachiin brothers apart, but only variably. She'd noticed that Karou tended to be the calmer of the two, his voice not as deep nor as brash as Hikaru's. But when they spoke together, it was basically impossible for Aiko to tell them apart.

The greeting caused her eyes to widen in shock. She looked over to where one of the twins—Karou, without a doubt—was giving her a cheeky grin, eyes closed and hand up in a wave. While she sat there, stunned, Karou opened one eye and continued, "Did you have a nice sleep last night? You're a lot less gloomy today."

Haruhi sighed. "That's not something you should be saying like a compliment, Karou."

"Why not?" Hikaru spoke up, leaning around his brother to get a better look at Haruhi. "We're only speaking the truth." Turning to Aiko, he offered her a similar greeting to that of his brother, though his grin looked more like an impish smirk. "Right, Aiko?"

Aiko realized her mouth had dropped open, and she quickly closed it back, before realizing that they expected her to answer. "Um—I suppose."

"See?" the twins said in smug tones; Haruhi just made a face.

"You-" All three Hosts turned their heads to look at Aiko, who'd gone a little pink in the face. "You called me...by my name. Aiko."

The twins gave her confused looks. "I thought that's what you preferred?" Hikaru spoke up, one eyebrow arching up in a challenge. "Or would you rather we call you Nakamura-Hime like the boss?"

There was definitely a distinct pink flush across Aiko's cheeks as she glanced down at her hands again. "No, no. Aiko...that's fine."

"Good." The twins once again looked contented. "But since we get to call you by your first name, you have to do the same for us. Okay?"

"O-Okay."

The teacher walked in at that moment, and everyone took their seats, leaving Aiko alone to her thoughts as she hid her pleased smile behind the textbook.

* * *

As the bells rang throughout the school to signal the start of the lunch period, Aiko gathered her things together and was preparing to walk out of the science classroom when she heard her name being called. She turned her head to see Haruhi and the twins coming up behind her, the latter to whispering among themselves.

"Yes, Haruhi?" Aiko prompted, adjusting her bag strap on her shoulder.

"We were wondering if you'd be joining us for lunch today?" the boy asked, giving her a friendly smile. "I noticed you never eat in the refectory, though you've always got a bento."

Aiko was, once again, shocked into silence. This was starting to become a normal thing since that just that morning. During second period, she'd been paired with Haruhi to fill out a worksheet in English class, and gotten nothing but patience from the boy when she missed a word or forgot proper grammar. The next period she'd broken the tip of her pencil, and Karou offered her another one almost immediately. And now this.

_Why are they all being so kind to me today?_ She knew they felt sorry for yesterday (well, at least Haruhi did; the twins didn't mention it) and were obviously trying to make it up to her, but it was still strange in Aiko's mind. Normally, when something like this happened at her old boarding school, it ended up being a very cruel prank that left the victim in tears.

That victim was usually Aiko.

She eyed the trio skeptically. _They don't seem like the type to do something like that though... Well, the Hikaru and Karou, possibly—but not Haruhi._ Still, Aiko's head warned her from being too trusting of those big brown eyes.

"Um, no thank you, Haruhi. I appreciate the invitation, but I'd only be a bore to have around." Aiko gave them an apologetic smile. "I hope you enjoy your lunch, though."

With that, she ducked her head and quickly left the classroom before she could regret her decision.

After Aiko had left the three hosts alone in the classroom, Hikaru let out a heavy sigh. "You'd think she'd have accepted _that_ at least. How are we supposed to get her to like us if she just blows us off every time?" he demanded.

Karou yawned and placed his hands behind his head. "Yeah. The boss's plan isn't working out very well."

"Quiet, you two," Haruhi shushed them. The twins glanced down at their small friend. "Manipulating someone and trying to become friends with them are two different things. First, Aiko-san needs to get comfortable around us. It's going to take a while. That's just how people work."

Hikaru stuffed his hands into his pockets. "All I can say is that she better be worth it. Otherwise Honey-senpai and Boss will have to come up with something else."

The trio started walking down the hallway towards the refectory, each calling up the meeting from yesterday afternoon.

* * *

_~The Host Club, After Hours~_

"How do you suppose we'll get Aiko-chan to come back to the club?" Honey spoke up as things began to wind down within the Host Club. The last customer had just left and already the decorations and cosplay had been stored away, leaving the room back in its original glory. Everyone was spaced out within the room, going about their own ways of getting rid of boredom. Hikaru and Karou were playing their Nintendos on their sofa again, off in their own little world. Kyoya had taken his book to a table with a calculator and Tamaki was once again trying to convince Haruhi to become "the girl Daddy wanted her to be." At Honey's words, they all glanced his way, even Kyoya.

"I mean," the childish third year continued on, petting his bunny Usa-chan. "Even when we tried to get Hika-chan and Kao-chan to tutor her in math, she refused. Do you...do you think she just doesn't like us very much?"

No one really had an answer for the blond Lolita. Not even Mori could think of something encouraging to say to his best friend and cousin.

Honey felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Glancing up revealed it to be Tamaki, smiling sympathetically at his senior. "Don't worry, Honey-senpai," the King Host said softly. "We'll think of a way to get Aiko in here for a second try. I promise."

"Do you really mean that, Tama-chan?" Honey asked, those large eyes of his overflowing with hope. Because tomorrow would be Friday, making it a week since Aiko had attended the Host Club; almost a week since Honey had met the quiet girl. He didn't know much about her, just that she was sweet and cute and looked like she really needed a friend. That's why he'd offered her the invitation to come to the club that very same day. Because she could make friends there.

"Of course!" Tamaki exclaimed, reverting back to his normal, over dramatic self. Raising his hand in the air, he brought it down forcefully on the back of the lounge chair, face set in determination. "Aiko-hime is still a maiden in need of our help, being the new girl! And as a Host Club, it is our job to fulfill the hopes and dreams of all women." As he finished his monologue, a spotlight appeared, shedding angelic light upon him, and making him sparkle. In the background, Mori and Honey watched on, the latter with an expression of awe, as they both applauded their leader.

"That'll be kind of hard considering her biggest wish is that we'll just leave her alone about all this Host Club stuff," Hikaru intoned from his couch position.

Karou nodded his head, speaking in the same apathetic way as his brother. "Either she really doesn't like us, or she just doesn't want to make any friends."

"Or both," they said as one.

Tamaki deflated momentarily at their words before straightening. "No," he said in a firm voice, causing the twins to look up from their game. The look on his face suggested that he'd already set himself a plan. "I refuse to give up. Isn't it the two of you and Haruhi who said that she doesn't speak to anyone in class and isn't present during lunch?"

The red-headed devils looked at each other, then back at Tamaki. "Yeah, so?"

They jumped slightly as Tamaki suddenly pointed a hard finger at them. "Does that sound like someone who doesn't want to make any friends? Because to me it seems like she's just too used to not having any friends in the first place because no one approaches her."

"Not to mention that this is her first time being at a non-boarding school," Kyoya added in, still punching away at his computer.

"Exactly!" Tamaki shut his eyes, obviously thinking very hard. "And being a new student in school is not always what it's cracked up to be. A bigger place with more people than she's ever dealt with, I'm sure. And how do we know Aiko-hime hasn't been subjected to the torment of high school bullies, hmm?" His statement was greeted with blank stares. "Exactly my point."

A certain Lolita boy looked down somberly at the reminder that Aiko might be bullied by the other kids at Ouran. There were some really mean people there after all. A few tense moments of silence passed.

Tamaki slammed his fist into his open palm as his eyes flew open. "That's it!"

"What's it, boss?" the twins asked, now becoming a little more interested.

"I know how we're going to get Aiko to come back to the Host Club!"

Honey's eyes widened. "Really, Tama-chan?" he asked excitedly. "What is it?"

"Before we can get Aiko to come in here as a customer, we must first get her more comfortable around us. Namely the devil twins and my precious daughter, since they are in the same class as Aiko." Tamaki crossed his arms over his chest. "In short, we need Aiko to consider us her friends."

His plan fell upon a silent room.

"Yay, Tama-chan!"

"Really-?"

The twins and Honey spoke at the same time, with obvious differences in opinion about the whole thing.

"Look, boss," Hikaru began, pulling his game back out. "We already told you, she's not interested in becoming our friends, or coming back to the Host Club. It's a wasted effort."

"You say that now because before our approach to get her to come here was blackmail and/or kidnapping. Both of which aren't exactly what make a girl's heart melt," Haruhi noted from where she was folding the last of her costume into a box. "I think Tamaki-senpai's plan actually sounds good for once."

Immediately, the blond idiot was all over Haruhi, glomping her face and cooing. "Really, Haruhi? Does that mean you've finally fallen for me?"

"No—now _get off_, senpai!"

Honey ignored the two in favor of looking pleadingly at the twins. "C'mon, Hika-chan, Kao-chan. If it means that Aiko-chan will come back to the Host Club, isn't that enough to give it a try?"

Hikaru and Karou looked into those child-like eyes of their senpai, then at each other. After a long silence wherein the two had one of their silent conversations, Hikaru closed his eyes and sighed. "I guess so. We haven't gotten to mess with our new toy very much anyways-"

"-so we're in," Karou finished for his brother, smirking. He threw a thumbs-up towards Honey, who exclaimed gleefully.

"Then it's settled," Kyoya said as he closed his laptop. Everyone—even Tamaki, who was being forcefully pushed away by a frustrated Haruhi—turned to look at the Shadow King. He adjusted the glasses on his nose, a sly smirk appearing on his face. "We'll start the plan tomorrow."

_~End of Flashback~_

* * *

"It seemed like a good idea a the time," Karou mused aloud as the trio walked into the refectory. The chattering of many students at once filled the large hall, along with the sounds of utensils scraping against fine china and glasses clinking as they were set down.

"Making friends doesn't take one day, Karou," Haruhi reminded him. She had brought her own lunch like usual, but stayed with the twins as they ordered theirs. "Aiko-san is very shy, too. Which means we'll have to work very hard to gain her trust."

Hikaru, only half-listening to his friend and his brother talk, allowed his mind to wander back to the club meeting from yesterday, and then to that morning in first period. He recalled how surprised Aiko had been when Karou had greeted her, and then him soon after. She'd blushed when they'd called her "Aiko" instead of "Aiko-san" or "-hime." That last one was usually what Tamaki called all the girls, though.

Though...she'd seemed so pleased by that little difference. Hikaru had caught her smiling down at her textbook out of the corner of his eye; and he knew for a fact it wasn't from the History lesson making her do that. The fact that something so simple could give her just that bit of happiness confused and—dare he say it?—_intrigued_ him.

_What a weird girl_... he eventually decided, shaking his head and turning back to Karou and Haruhi's conversation. But that small, sweet smile kept replaying in his mind throughout the rest of lunch.

* * *

Aiko enjoyed her bento that day (some leftover egg rolls and spiced chicken and rice) and returned to her class feeling the best she had all week. Her mood dropped only slightly when she entered the science classroom and noticed that they would be working with partners that day, and there was only one seat left.

Fortunately for her, it wasn't next to Nijimi—Aiko didn't think she would be able to stand being close to such a predatory girl for a whole class period. But the seat wasn't next to Haruhi, either; he'd already been paired up with some other girl, who looked like she would faint at any moment.

Sliding on the stool at the work table, Aiko discreetly glanced at the person sitting next to her. It was a boy. He had well-kept hair and a pleasant face, but that didn't exactly mean he was a pleasant person. She recognized him from her other classes (if she remembered correctly, his name was Kyou). Whatever the case, he hadn't noticed her yet—his eyes trained intently on the book in front of him, the dark irises quickly skimming over the words before flipping the page and devouring that one as well.

Aiko didn't want to bother him, but she needed to get his attention for the project they were about to do. Just as she was reaching a tentative out towards him to tap his shoulder, the teacher came in. "Alright. Today we'll be doing a very quick project dealing with cells and microscopes. The person you'll be sitting next to is your partner for the day; you are to both fill out a worksheet and turn them in by the end of class. Directions are on the board. Begin."

There was an immediate scraping of chairs as various people made their way to the cabinets to get their microscopes and slides. The boy still had not moved from his position.

Aiko chewed on her lip, debating. Should she get the microscope and slides first, or try to gain the attention of her would-be partner?

In the end, she stalled for so long that she didn't notice the boy had moved until there was a dull thud in front of her. Aiko blinked. The slides and the microscope were placed on the table.

Looking over at the boy, she saw that his gaze focused on her, and she jumped. "O-oh, I'm sorry. I-I should have gone and gott-ten these, please e-excuse me-"

"Write your name," he interrupted her, passing the extra worksheet her way. The bluntness with which he spoke made Aiko unable to respond for a moment. When she didn't write her name, he glanced back at her. "I said, write your name."

"R-right! Sorry," she apologized once again. Picking up her pencil, Aiko wrote her name in the proper blank. Glancing over at his paper, she noted he'd written: Kyou Ijiri.

_So his name _is_ Kyou_, Aiko mused to herself.

"I'll look at the slides and write down the answers. You can just copy them from there," Kyou spoke up, causing Aiko to blink at him in confusion.

"Um..."

He glanced at her. "It'll go by much faster like this, and require as little interaction as possible."

_Ouch_. Aiko mentally cringed at the coolness of Kyou's tone. "B-But this is a p-partner project, so I thought-"

"You thought wrong." Wow. This guy was more blunt than Haruhi.

Aiko, sensing that the conversation wasn't going anywhere, nodded meekly. "O-Okay."

With a simple nod, Kyou inserted the first slide into the microscope and began adjusting accordingly. He glanced at it for a few seconds before jotting down something on the first lines. Then he switched out the slide for the next and repeated the process while Aiko watched on silently. The other tables around her were all murmuring with their selected partners; everyone was working as a team except her and Kyou.

_I wish he would let me look at _one_ of the slides, at least_, she grumbled to herself. _He's making it seem like I'm so stupid and clumsy I'll mess up the project if I were to help. He didn't even introduce himself-_

"Done."

Shocked out of her thoughts, Aiko looked to see that Kyou's worksheet was, in fact, completed, down to the very last side-notes. Impressive wasn't the right word—this was downright astonishing. "Wow..."

"Here," he said. The worksheet was slid over to her abruptly. "Just copy down everything and we'll be done here." With that said, Kyou grabbed the rest of the slides and the microscope and went to return them to the cabinet.

Aiko looked after the strange boy for a moment before looking back down at the finished worksheet. She let out a weary sigh before dutifully copying down the answers. By the time Kyou had returned, she was just finishing up and handed his paper back with a quiet, "Thank you."

He nodded in her direction once before pulling out that book of his again and immediately getting sucked in, seeming to block all outside distractions. Aiko watched him for a minute or two, trying to understand his comments from earlier and obvious distaste for small talk with other people.

_ Not like I'm any different_, she mused. _His way of avoiding people is just so...cold. But he doesn't seem like the shy-type..._

"Aiko," Haruhi said as he appeared in front of the girl, startling her. Seeing so, he put a hand to the back of his head and smiled apologetically. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just coming over to see how you were doing with the project."

"H-Haruhi." Aiko put a hand to her chest, taking deep breaths to stop her racing heart. "Ah, no, I'm fine. It's okay." Once her breathing was again under control, she gave the boy a better answer. "I'm done with it actually. The project."

He gazed at her quizzically. "Really? But class isn't even half-way done yet."

Aiko just blinked. What? Glancing around the classroom, she indeed noticed that the other students were still hard at work on their assignments, some quietly discussing and others arguing. Hikaru and Karou were the only ones lounging against their table, looking incredibly bored.

"I-I hadn't noticed," she admitted sheepishly.

Haruhi chuckled. "I'm not saying that's a bad thing, Aiko. Just a little surprising. It's a pretty hard lab. I should be getting back to my partner anyway. See ya'." He gave a small wave before returning to his own table and partner.

Aiko waved back before slumping slightly on her stool. An entire half of a class left—that hardly ever happened to her anymore. She spared Kyou a glance; he was so enthralled with his book she doubted he'd heard a word her and Haruhi had spoken. _Must be a very good book_.

For the rest of the period Aiko tried tackling a few of the practice worksheets her teacher had passed out in math for the upcoming test. Slowly, the material was becoming easier to grasp, but Aiko was still far behind the other students in terms of understanding the various concepts passed out. At this rate, she'd be kicked out of the class and bumped down to 1-B in the blink of an eye. She really needed someone to help her, if only for a few days. A tutor.

_Or tutors_, she corrected in her mind, looking back at Hikaru and Karou. Now they were talking quietly between themselves, glancing across the classroom at various points. She was still looking their way when Hikaru's gaze locked with hers (at least, she assumed it was Hikaru. His hair parter to the right, which she'd noted was one of the only visible differences between him and his brother). Aiko quickly turned her head back into her desk, face flaming, but it was too late. She'd been caught.

It was only a few seconds later when she felt someone's shoulder brush against her own, on either side. Aiko internally cringed.

"What do we have here, Karou?" Hikaru intoned from Aiko's right shoulder. She looked at him: he had a devilishly handsome smirk on his face that made her blush another shade of red. But at least she was right about the part in his hair. It was small step towards discerning which twin was which.

Karou poked his head closer to the papers in front of Aiko, his chin brushing past her shoulder. "Hmm. It seems like the practice worksheets from math class, Hikaru. It seems our little toy has been working harder to pay attention in that class seeing as some of these are actually right."

Aiko tried not to be insulted by the way Karou made it sound like a genuine surprise that she got some questions right. "Well, t-that test is c-c-coming up pretty soon a-and I need to try and-d get my g-grade up. So Okanawa-sensei let me take a few more s-sheets." It didn't slip past her notice that Karou used that blasted word again: "toy." Exactly how Nijimi had described her—a shiny new toy in the eyes of a pack of dogs.

"How cute." Hikaru leveled a superior look on Aiko. "Don't tell me you really expect to pass that test with the current level you're at right now."

"But if you were to accept our offer as tutors-" Karou sang from her other side, slipping an arm around Aiko's shoulders. She let out a surprised squeak.

"-there is a possibility it might happen," they finished, matching Cheshire grins lighting up their faces.

"I already t-told you guys, I c-can't go back to the Host Club..." Aiko mumbled, casting her eyes down.

The twins shared a look over Aiko's head that she missed. Hikaru cleared his throat, making Aiko peek up at him through her lashes. "We've decided that in exchange for tutoring you, you don't have to come to the Host Club."

"We can come up with some other method of payment!" Karou continued with an enthusiastic gleam in his eyes.

Aiko looked between them in confusion. "You...don't want me to come to your club anymore?"

They shook their heads. "Nope. You're not obligated to come if we tutor you." They each held up a finger and winked at her. "So, what's it gonna be?"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. They didn't want her to go to the Host Club anymore? Despite herself, Aiko felt a twinge of disappointment—and maybe a little hurt. Was Nijimi's prediction coming true? Were Honey-senpai and the rest giving up on her as well? She didn't like to think that she was just a new plaything for the club. Aiko actually thought they wanted her to come to the club because they liked _her_ as a person, not a thing to toss to the side once they got bored.

_That's what I get for assuming things_, she thought to herself bitterly.

"O-Oh." They were waiting for her answer. Aiko opened her mouth to speak—while at the same time, the bells rang to signal the end of the period. Aiko thanked her lucky stars that she had at least another class period to avoid the twins. "Um. I have to go. Excuse me." Quickly stuffing her things into her bag, Aiko bowed her head and scurried out of the classroom.

* * *

The twins stared after her in a mixture of disbelief and confusion. Haruhi came up beside them. "So, how'd it go that time?" she asked, already knowing the answer, if Aiko's exit was anything to go by.

Hikaru frowned. "She turned us down. _Again_." He huffed and put a hand on his hip. "This girl is a lot more stubborn than I expected."

"Yeah." Karou closed his eyes wearily. "Tamaki's plan is going to make me tired. But-" He opened his eyes, and there was some twinkle deep in the amber as he glanced at his brother. "-now I'm a lot more interested in finding out how to get our toy to play nicely."

Hikaru reflected his brother's outward expression, a wicked grin cropping up. "You took the words right out of my mouth, Karou."

"Yeah!" the twins exclaimed, giving each other a high-five over Haruhi's head as she just made an irritated face.

_Idiots..._

* * *

I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! Geez, the weeks are going by so fast, I'm almost out of buffer chapters, haha. I'm going to have to get out of my slump and start writing soon so I don't keep you all waiting! _*the final countdown plays in the distance*_

And to **Kang Mina**: Thank you for the lovely comments! And I'm glad Tamaki made you laugh-he'll always be a puppy in my eyes, no matter how princely he may seem c: Please keep sending me your sweet reviews! They make my day!

Until next week, lovely readers! Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!


	5. Taking That First Small Step

A/N: Holy Hera, 18 people have already favorited this story? Y'all don't know how much that means to me, seriously. Also, thank you to **Kang Mina**, **SmolderingBlackRose**, and guest **Zae Marks** for adding your reviews! And to those who have just joined the story, welcome! I hope you continue to stick around!

At the bottom of this chapter I'll respond to reviews and give an option for you guys about our dear Aiko!

Until then, enjoy the chapter!

_Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters, places, and events are _not_ mine. They all belong to the creator, the very wonderful and talented Bisco Hatori! This piece of fiction does not profit from anyone and I do not receive anything but happiness that my fic might be read by y'all._

* * *

FIVE

By the time Manabu Nakamura returned home from a long day of paperwork and meetings, it was already very late, and he was sure his daughter had already eaten her dinner and gone to bed.

The maids welcomed him home as they always did, but he simply waved them off, telling them to finish their last chores and then get some rest with their own families. They often didn't leave until well past midnight, and still managed to return by five the next morning. He was grateful for their dedication to their work, and knew that it wasn't all about their paychecks (to which he expended a great deal of his fortune). The maids and other servants cared a great deal for his daughter as well, making sure she was growing up happy and not feeling neglected.

_Speaking of his daughter..._

When Manabu knocked on Aiko's bedroom door, he was surprised to hear a quiet "Come in" from the other side. _She's still awake?_ He wondered, opening the door.

And there she was, notebooks and worksheets scattered all around her bed and Aiko sitting in the middle, typing something into a calculator. She looked up from her work and smiled at her father, albeit a bit wearily. "Welcome home, Dad. Did you have a productive day?"

Manabu roused himself from his surprise and gave his daughter a disapproving look. "Aiko, what are you doing up so late? I would have expected you to have been in bed a long time ago."

"But I am in bed, Dad."

He sighed. "You know what I mean, Aiko." Walking further into her room, Manabu took a few of the papers off of her bed and flipped through them absently. "However proud I am that you're taking your studies seriously, you should know better than anyone that a good night's rest is very important."

Aiko looked down, rolling her pencil between her fingers. "I'm sorry, Dad. I was just trying to finish this worksheet for math..."

"I understand, sweetie," Manabu replied, softening his tone. "But I don't want you to run yourself into the ground with your schoolwork. If it's too much, we can always get you a tutor-"

"I don't want a tutor," she grumbled, then winced. "Sorry."

He leveled a stern, but knowing look her way. "Aiko. I didn't just send you to Ouran for you to study and get good grades."

"But you said-"

"I know what I said. And I _do _want you to get a good education there. But I also want you to make some friends; join a few clubs. Have a good time and enjoy yourself while you can. There will be plenty of all-nighters for when you start helping me in the company." He put on a loving smile and stroked the hair off of her forehead. "You're mother would want you to have fun at Ouran while also working hard. You do know that, don't you?"

Aiko's gaze went to the picture frame on her nightstand and she nodded. "Yes, Dad."

"Good." Manabu returned her papers to her bed before glancing at his watch. "I'll let you have ten more minutes to finish up here, but then I want you in bed. Asleep." He grunted as he stood, leaning over to place a quick kiss on the top of Aiko's head.

"Yes, Dad."

He was just about to close her door when he seemed to remember something. "Ah, speaking of clubs and friends, have you met any boys you might be interested in, yet?"

"Dad!"

"What? I'm just asking. I need to make sure whatever boy that's stolen your heart is worthy of having my daughter's hand-"

"Dad, please!" Aiko's face had gone red in an instant. "I already told you, I've met some boys, but not like that!"

Manabu chuckled at his daughter's reaction. "Alright, alright. Since it's the weekend, I'll let you relax; still, Monday I want you to look at the clubs they offer and pick one by the end of the week, if not more. But _at least_ one." He gave Aiko one last smile. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight, Dad."

Later that night, as Manabu was finally getting into bed himself (after checking to make sure his daughter complied with his instructions and went to bed) he allowed his eyes to wander to the picture on his night table of his late wife holding his little girl. A bittersweet smile lingered on his lips as he touched the glass with his fingers. "Ah, Kokoro. If only you were still here, then maybe Aiko wouldn't push others away so much. Including me."

He then laid his head to his pillow and let his mind begin to wander as his body relaxed. _Please, Kokoro_, he thought just as sleep began to overtake him._ Guide our daughter towards friends who will make her happy._

* * *

The ride to school the following Monday seemed longer to Aiko than usual; her head was full to bursting with the expectations laid on her shoulders the other night by her father.

_Making friends and joining clubs_, Aiko mentally sighed. _He makes it sound like a walk in the park. Which, for someone like him, I wouldn't be surprised._ Perhaps it was because he'd been in the business for such a long time, or it might have just been some natural talent of his, but Aiko's father had always had this kind of charisma about him. When he spoke, people listened; if he gave an order, it was carried out precisely and without fail.

Sometimes Aiko wondered if she'd ever figure out how to use that skill. It must be buried way, way, _way _deep inside her bones. She _was_ his daughter after all. _And Mom—she had that kind of aura as well. But not as business-like. She just knew when to say the right words at the right time._

It was a very hard thing to believe that Aiko was the daughter of either of these people, for she was _terrible_ at speaking to big crowds of people. Or really anyone, for that matter. Her chronic shyness showed others that she was weak; easy to overpower and manipulate. That's what had happened at her old boarding schools. The strong preyed on the weak, as the world saw fit to make it so. And she could do nothing to fight back.

The curses. The insults—to both her and her family. The jeering after the death of her mother. There were only a few physical altercations, though, to which Aiko was grateful.

She frowned. All of this heavy thinking was starting to give her a headache.

"Mako." The driver glanced up at the rear view mirror. "Drop me off here."

"M-Miss Aiko! We're not even half-way to your school-"

Aiko held up a hand to quiet his worries. "Please, Mako, just drop me off here. I should like to walk from here—it's a nice day out, besides. The fresh air will do me good."

He looked reluctant to do so, but followed the instructions given and pulled over to the sidewalk. He opened his door and made his way around the car to open Aiko's. "Miss Aiko, if you are feeling unwell, I could drive you back to the manor."

"Thank you, Mako, but I'm fine." She plastered a rather convincing smile on her face to hide behind. "Please just be on time to pick me up after school. Ah, no," she added. "I almost forgot. I might be a few minutes late—there are some things I need to look into in the office."

"As you wish, miss," the old driver said, bowing.

Within a minute the town car was turned around and driving back to the manor as Aiko continued on her own way to school. She'd been right about the weather—it truly was a beautiful day outside. Even so early in the morning, the sun was glinting down with an ideal warmth that soaked through her hideous school uniform and let its gentle rays warm her skin. The odd breeze blew now and then, sending her skirt and hair fluttering for a second or two before settling again. It had such a peaceful effect on Aiko that she didn't realize she'd made it to school until she noticed other students in the Ouran uniform walking through the gates.

_What a pity. _She frowned slightly. _I was hoping to spend a little more time __outside before classes started._ Taking her walk had only made Aiko a little later than if she had continued to ride in the car, but still plenty of time before classes began. There were only a bare minimum of students present on the grounds.

_Well, I guess I could head to the office now instead of after school_, she decided. _I would hate to have Mako wait for me for too long._

There was one lady behind the desk when Aiko walked into the office, and she looked up with a polite smile. "Good morning. Is there anything I can help you with this morning, miss?"

"Yes, please. I was wondering if you had a list of the clubs they offer here at school?"

"Of course. One moment." The lady typed some things into her keyboard and within seconds the printer was spitting out paper after paper. Aiko's eyes widened slightly. That sure was a lot of clubs... "Here you are, miss."

Aiko glanced back to the lady. There was a stack of papers in her hands. Aiko took them and bowed. "Thank you very much. Have a nice day." The lady smiled and waved her off as Aiko left the office.

_Hmm, let's see. _She flipped through the rather thick stack. The long list was organized by popularity first, with its basic information lifted off to the side. For some reason, Aiko wasn't terribly surprised to find that the Host Club was right near the top of the first page. _With so many good-looking young men, and considering how many girls were in there last time, that seems about right. _She blushed lightly at the memory. _Too many girls..._

Aiko shook her head and continued to look through the list. _Hmm. Gardening Club. Sounds nice, but I think the maids would be a little miffed if they had to keep washing dirt stains from my dresses. So no. How about...oh. They have a kendo club? _Aiko, herself, was never interested in participating in kendo itself, but the sport was always something she and her mother attended when they could. She remembered at a young age thinking these young men were really samurai in disguise, and her mother had indulged her wishes to see them.

Aiko hadn't seen a kendo match since her mother died. Which was her own fault. _If they have a kendo club here, I'm sure Dad wouldn't be disappointed if I went to watch their matches a few times._ With that settled in her mind, Aiko went along flipping through the various clubs. _There's just so many. I'm glad gave me __until the end of the week__ to decide which one I'd like to join._

Just as she was about to go back to the beginning of the list, the chimes for the beginning of school rang out, causing her to jump. A quick look around revealed that Aiko was still a long ways from her first class. "Just great," she grumbled, starting to jog.

She ignored the many curious looks that followed after her as she attempted to make it to her class on time. As Fate should have it, Aiko arrived at her classroom before the teacher did, though she was out of breath and more than a little rumpled due to the sudden burst of physical exertion. As she walked in, the other females in the room began to titter behind their hands, whispering to their friends as she passed by. Aiko blatantly ignored them as she sank gratefully into her seat.

Haruhi shared a look with the twins before turning his attention towards Aiko, who was still panting. "Uh, Aiko, are you okay? Do you need some water?"

"_Huff_..._huff_...no, thank you...Haruhi," Aiko breathed, waving off his concerns. "I-I'll be...fine...in a minute..._hah_..."

He still looked dubious. The twins spoke up. "Were you late to school? Did your driver's limo break down?" they asked her. "Because if so, we'd be more than willing to drive you home today."

Their sudden chivalry surprised Aiko. Most of her breath had come back by now, so she was able to answer them with only a little difficulty. "N-No, nothing like that. Um, thank you for offering, but no. Our limo is fine. I just chose to walk about halfway here-"

"Ah-ha!" The twins brought their fists down into their open palms as if they'd just cracked a particularly hard puzzle. "So that's why you're late!"

Aiko shook her head quickly. "That's not it either! P-Please! I arrived here in plenty of time, but I had to go to the office and got a little sidetracked-"

Hikaru and Kaoru interrupted her once again by leaning in closer than was necessary, getting right into Aiko's face. She leaned back as much as the chair would allow her—her eyes grew wide and blood started to pool into her cheeks.

"Hmm. What were you going to the office for, Aiko?" the twin on the left asked. _That's Kaoru..._

"Could it be something that had to do with this?" the other twin that must have been Hikaru asked. He held up the stack of papers that Aiko had been clutching as she'd walked into the room.

Her eyes widened even more; the blush on her cheeks intensified. "A-ah—wait!" Without thinking about her actions, Aiko leaned forward, standing out of her seat as she reached for the papers in Hikaru's hand. Her momentum sent Hikaru leaning back in surprise. The hand holding the papers rose above his head, making Aiko's struggles to get at them that much harder, for it was a good foot above her hand now.

Their roles from only a few seconds before had been reversed—now, it was Aiko who was leaning dangerously close to Hikaru's face and him who had to lean backwards so that their noses did not brush. But for once, Aiko didn't seem to notice the proximity between their faces, as she was too preoccupied with the paperwork in Hikaru's hand.

"P-Please, Hikaru!" she pleaded. "Those papers are very important—for my father." Her eyes went to his in hopes that he would understand—and found that the cat-like eyes were much closer than they should be. The imploring look in her eyes drained as surprise took its place, and she froze.

Someone cleared their throat beside Aiko, and she turned her head to find Kaoru watching them with an amused glimmer in his eyes, though he wasn't smiling. This seemed to break the spell on Aiko, as she went about three shades redder and backed away from Hikaru, eyes trained on her desk. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout l-like that or g-get that c-c-close," she stuttered. To keep her hands from grabbing her dress and wrinkling it, her hands fussed at her hair, taking a large chunk and smoothing over it repeatedly. "T-That was rude."

Kaoru and Haruhi watched—the former in obvious glee—as Hikaru glanced to the side, his eyebrow twitching in some unnamed emotion. Haruhi assumed it was irritation of some kind, but Kaoru knew his twin better than that.

Hikaru held the papers back out to Aiko. "That's stupid," he retorted. "Getting worked up over something like that. It's just a little bit of paper."

Trying to stutter out a statement of thanks, Aiko took the papers offered to her right as the teacher walked in, telling everyone to take their seats and get out their homework. Hikaru walked off to his seat without another word, leaving Kaoru to give Aiko an indiscreet wink behind his back. They all sat down (Haruhi just gave Aiko a smile and turned around in his seat) and class began.

Though it took a while for Aiko's cheeks to return to a more natural color.

* * *

_That was a close one. _Aiko entered the combination for her locker before switching out the books she'd need for her next class. _I don't want Haruhi and the twins to know that I'm contemplating joining a club that's not theirs. Which, I suppose isn't something that really concerns them, since it's my choice—but they really want me to come to the Host Club..._

Aiko shook her head. Slamming her locker door shut as she closed her eyes, she amended her thoughts. _Not _want_ anymore—_wanted._ The twins made it very clear that they weren't interested in having me as a guest anymore. _Slowly, her eyes opened to stare forlornly at the metal lockers lining the walls. _Honey-senpai..._

Lost in her less-than-pleasant thoughts, Aiko wasn't paying attention to the people walking behind her, therefore creating a situation that would no doubt result in her bumping into someone. And bump she did.

The sound of books crashing to the floor startled the surrounding students, causing them to turn their heads in the direction of the noise with curious expressions. Aiko was, thankfully, still standing, but she was looking horrified at what she'd just caused; the girl who had run into her was also standing, but her books and various papers scattered all along the hallway. Some sheets were still raining down.

Aiko began to apologize profusely, kneeling and putting her own books to the side as she began to gather the other student's materials and books. "Again, I-I-I'm so s-sorry, I c-can't believe I-I did-dn't not-t-tice you-" Her stammering was cut short by a soft voice.

"Don't apologize, please. It was my fault."

Her hands froze in their feverish pick-up. Aiko blinked up at the gently smiling face of the girl who had run into her. _Wow_, Aiko thought, _she's seriously pretty._ Curly dark red hair that fell around large, warm honey-colored irises. One look into them and Aiko felt much more relaxed, not as upset over the situation as before. The girl spoke again, her low, sweet voice rushing over Aiko's ears like a creek: "Really, I'm the one who should apologize. I ran into you after all."

Then she smiled and Aiko felt her face heat up a little; she wasn't used to having the roles switched around like that. Apologies were her thing. "A-Ah, wait-"

The mystery girl knelt as well and started grabbing the papers around her calmly, ignoring the stares they were getting from the surrounding students. Aiko sat frozen on her heels, mesmerized at how unswayed the girl was. Had it been anyone else, she was sure they would have given her the evil-eye and accused her of trying to trip them, among other far-fetched stories.

_Is she really unaffected by this?_ Aiko wondered.

"Thank you so much," the girl suddenly spoke. Aiko flinched in surprise. "The others wouldn't have stopped to help me at all, so I'm thankful to you."

She shook her head. "N-No, you shouldn't!" Aiko coughed, then lowered her voice. "I m-mean, I am the reason you fell, s-s-so it's only right th-that I should help you." Dropping her eyes to the ground, she added, "Please allow me to take responsibility for not noticing you and moving."

The other girl was quiet again. Aiko looked up, starting suddenly as she met the other girl's steady gaze. "Alright. Then I shall take responsibility for not paying attention and stepping around you." She smiled sweetly at Aiko. "How's that sound?"

"U-Um...that's fine," Aiko agreed. Realizing she was still holding her books, Aiko held them out to the girl. "These are y-yours."

She nodded in thanks, taking them. The two stood once Aiko had gotten her own bag. They both just looked at each other for a few seconds before the other girl bowed her head again. "Thank you again for helping me, but I should go now, or I'll be late to class. You should hurry as well." With a parting smile, the girl walked past Aiko and down the hall. Aiko turned to watch her until she turned the corner and disappeared.

_What a nice girl_, she mused before turning and making her way to her own classroom. _I wish I could have remembered to ask for her name...though I doubt I'll forget a face like hers. She didn't look like she was my age, though, so I doubt I'll see her around school very often. _Satisfied with that thought, Aiko entered her third period class.

* * *

"Honey, I brought you a cake that my cook made from scratch."

"No, Honey, you should try my cook's brownies first. I had it specially made with strawberries in the middle because I know how much you like them."

"What about my cake?"

The girls in the third-year refectory crowded around the table, each holding out a neatly wrapped treat in their hands and eagerly pressing it forward. The subject of their gifts was sitting at the table with his ever-quiet cousin, drinking in the attention.

"Gee, ladies, there's so much cake and sweets here!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I promise, I'll eat _all_ of it for you, so don't worry. You can count on me!"

A collective squeal went up from the girls: "Aww! He's _so adorable_!"

Honey giggled, already chomping down on a piece of German chocolate cake as Mori watched on impassively. His eyes scanned across the heads of the girls surrounding them and across the refectory when someone walked by the partly open doors. Someone _quite_ familiar.

"Mitsukuni."

The blond looked up curiously at his cousin. "What is it, Takashi?"

In response, he pointed a finger towards the doors. "Aiko."

Immediately, Honey's eyes lit up. "Really? Where? Outside? Let's go say hi!" He leaped from the table, much to the girls' surprise, and bounded off in the direction of the doors. He slid to a stop in the middle of the hallway, looking left and right repeatedly. But the hallway was deserted, and Honey didn't hear anyone's footsteps walking either way.

By the time Mori showed up, Honey was looking sullenly at the floor. "I missed her..."

Shaking his head, Mori walked past his depressed cousin and to the window, looking at something. "Aiko," he repeated, much in the same way as before.

Honey's head popped up over Mori's shoulder, looking in the same direction. There—he could see her!

Aiko was sitting beneath a sakura tree, legs tucked underneath her as she ate from a bento box in her lap. She was too far away to know that they were there behind the window, what with the glare from the sun reflecting off the outside. As he watched her, Honey's initial excitement turned into fresh concern. "She looks so lonely out there by herself. I thought Hika-chan and the others were asking her to join them for lunch?"

"Ah."

"...I hope Tama-chan's plan works. I wanna see Aiko-chan at the club again."

Mori blinked, nodding once. He, too, was rather concerned for the younger, clumsy girl, and not just because his cousin had taken a liking towards her. She was quiet and very weak, and reminded Mori of a new-born foal just starting to get the hang of walking. Bullies would be easily drawn to such a fragile creature.

They stood there for a while longer until Honey sighed. "Come on, Takashi. I want to eat some more cake." _And hope that Tama-chan's plan works out this time._

* * *

Down a few hallways from the third-years' refectory, some other members of the famous Host Club also noticed the lone figure sitting underneath the pink blossoms. Three members, if you want to be precise about it.

"Hmm?" Haruhi did a double take—no, she wasn't mistaken. "Hey, Hikaru, Kaoru." The two twins stopped walking and turned to look at their friend with curiosity. She lifted a finger and pointed out of the window. "Look. It's Aiko."

The two gathered around Haruhi and looked in the direction she was pointing in; there, indeed, was the new girl, eating out of her bento calmly as the wind outside loosened some petals from the trees and they rained down around her.

"So that's where she goes to eat her lunch everyday?" Kaoru questioned, putting a hand to his hip.

"Seems like it," Haruhi answered him. Her head cocked to the side slightly. "I guess I understand why she'd rather eat out there than in the noisy refectory. Aiko's a pretty quiet girl."

Kaoru furrowed his brow as he looked down at Haruhi. "But doesn't that just make it harder on us to make friends with her if she sits out there by herself? At this rate, it'll be the end of the year before we get her to consider us friends and get her to the Host Club."

An irritated tick appeared in Haruhi's eyebrow. "Well, if you say it all pessimistically like that, then I'm sure that's what'll happen, Kaoru."

"Not necessarily."

Two confused gazes jerked over to Hikaru, who was still gazing outside. "What do you mean?" they both asked.

"You know those papers I took from Aiko in first period? I got a quick look at it before giving it back—turns out they were a printed copy of all the clubs at school. Some of the ones on the front page were crossed out in red pen, so I'm guessing she didn't plan on joining those."

"Yeah, so?" Kaoru didn't know where his twin was going with this for once.

"Clubs rank by popularity, right? Making ours one of the highest and being on the first page." Something entered his tone that could only be described as smug. "The Host Club didn't have any lines going through it."

Hikaru finally turned his eyes towards his brother and friend; they shone with a mischievous twinkle in their depths and his signature smirk was in place.

It took a moment for this to sink in, but when it did, Kaoru's expression was identical with his brother's; Haruhi just smiled in satisfaction. "It's a small step," she admitted, looking back outside. Aiko was just closing up her bento, apparently finished with her lunch; she took out something from her bag and began flipping through the pages. "But all friendships start somewhere."

She and Kaoru started walking again, discussing the cosplay for that afternoon, while Hikaru stayed behind for a moment, still looking outside. He could barely see his own reflection in the squeaky clean glass. _Small steps..._He stared for a moment longer before walking after his brother and best friend. _Small steps..._

* * *

Small steps indeed, Hikaru. As y'all can see, my favorite pastime is putting Aiko is situations where she becomes extremely flustered. _*insert evil laugh*_

Anyway, I hope this chapter was satisfying for y'all! Now for reviews~

**Kang Mina: **I'm glad to hear my writing can make you so happy! I hope this update makes your day as much as your review makes mine!

**SmolderingBlackStar: **Aiko is very stubborn, yes. That will never change no matter what happens, trust me! Hikaru and the others are just going to have to deal with it! Thanks for the review!

**Zae Marks (guest): **I'm happy to hear that! Although Aiko would tell you she's not cute, everyone else thinks so. Thank you for reviewing!

And here's that option I mentioned earlier: _If you so choose, you can add in your review one thing about Aiko you want to know that hasn't already been revealed, or won't be mentioned too much in future__ chapters. I will choose **one **to answer in the next update._ That is to say, don't ask which Host she likes best, or what her greatest fear is. Ask about simple stuff, like her favorite color, her least favorite season, stuff like that. _*totally not a way to get more reviews, no sir*_**  
**

Once again, thank y'all for enjoying the story so much! I love you all! Until next week, everyone!


	6. The Wednesday Test

A/N: So far this is the shortest chapter. I didn't even break 4k, which to me is the minimum I like to write per chapter. _*sigh* _It's also depressing near the end of the chapter, just FYI. Thanks to **Kang Mina **and **SmolderingBlackRose** for your encouragement in your reviews! They really do make my day!

_Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters, places, and events are _not_ mine. They all belong to the creator, the very wonderful and talented Bisco Hatori! This piece of fiction does not profit from anyone and I do not receive anything but happiness that my fic might be read by y'all._

* * *

SIX

"Young miss! You need to get up so you'll have plenty of time to eat your breakfast!"

Aiko groaned loud enough to let Yumi know that she was properly awake so the overbearing maid wouldn't have to open the door. After a few moments, Aiko could hear the light shuffling that told her that Yumi had left. Letting out a heavy sigh she blinked several times to allow her eyes to adjust to the watery sunlight filtering through her curtains. Her brain was a little slower in waking, however.

_Ugh...is it the weekend yet?_ Snuggling deeper underneath her duvet, Aiko seriously considered telling Yumi that she was feeling sick just to get a couple more hours of sleep.

The minutes went by slowly; only the ticking of the clock on her nightstand and the early morning birds twittering outside permeated the still air. Just as Aiko was about to succumb to another few minutes of sleep, her eyes flew wide open and she shot up, spine stiff as a board. Her face paled considerably and a look of horror passed over her features.

"It's Wednesday," she breathed out.

On any other Wednesday, Aiko wouldn't be acting as dramatically as she was that moment—those days were some of her happier ones. It marked the midway point of the school week, and Aiko was usually proud of herself for lasting that long (her worst days were Thursdays, if you were wondering). But today was _the_ Wednesday.

Today was the Wednesday she had a test scheduled in math.

As that realization began to sink in fully, Aiko's stiffness vanished; her bones felt like they'd been turned to jello. She gave another loud groan and flopped back against her bed in defeat.

_This is _not_ turning out to be a good Wednesday_, she complained, pouting.

Even though all she wanted to do was burrow underneath her covers for the rest of time (or at least until tomorrow), Aiko knew Yumi would be back in a few minutes to make sure she was in the shower and not still laid up in bed; giving out a quiet whimper, Aiko managed to drag herself out of the security of her bed and padded barefoot to the bathroom. Even the shower, which woke her up a bit more, didn't help her relax.

If the cooks and other servants noticed the anxiety surrounding Aiko as she walked into the dining room, they didn't say anything. She didn't know if she preferred that to being fussed over.

She forced her breakfast down her throat despite the constricting knots in her stomach.

The knots didn't loosen on the ride to school, nor did they when she'd sat down underneath in her lunch spot and got out the math worksheets she'd finished Monday. Maybe if she took another look at them, it might ease her frazzled mind.

Her plan backfired. The formulas and procedures on the papers seemed more like foreign writings and less like first year math the longer she read over them. By the time the chimes rang across the grounds to signal the start of the school day, Aiko was feeling more anxious than when she'd woken up that morning. Her mind was so full of troubled thoughts that she didn't notice her name being called until a hand fell on her shoulder.

Startled, Aiko let out an embarrassing squeak, eyes darting up wildly. She calmed down when she realized it was just Haruhi, though the boy looked more concerned than usual. Aiko couldn't exactly blame him—she was sure she looked crazed.

"A-Ah, I'm s-sorry, Haruhi. You just st-t-tartled me," she admitted.

"I can see that." Blunt as ever, that was Haruhi. But he still did not let go of her shoulder, or drop his look. If anything, his brow furrowed even more as his gaze swept over her face. "Are you feeling okay, Aiko? You look completely freaked out about something."

"Uh...I-"

"Did someone threaten you?" Haruhi demanded.

Aiko looked stricken at the very thought. "N-No of c-course not-t!"

"What's going on here, Haruhi?"

"Yeah, why're you frightening our toy so much?"

Haruhi let out a deep breath as Hikaru and Karou popped up behind her, matching mock-scowls on their faces. Crossing their arms, they intoned, "It's not nice to bully people, Haruhi, or did your dad teach you nothing about manners?"

"Shut up, guys. And I'm not bullying her!" Haruhi's hand dropped from Aiko's shoulder as he turned to speak to the twins face to face; Aiko commended him on his patience when dealing with those two. "She just looked really upset about something and I-"

The twins didn't wait for Haruhi to finish her sentence. She blinked in surprise at the empty space in front of her where the twins had stood only a moment ago. Turning her head back to Aiko, her mouth fell open slightly in disbelief and irritation. _I can't believe those two..._

Hikaru and Karou had somehow managed to slip around Haruhi and sandwich Aiko in a hug between them, exactly what they did with Haruhi on a regular basis. But instead of looking annoyed at the twins' antics, Aiko looked like she wasn't breathing. Her face was flushed and her eyes were squeezed shut. The two gingers didn't seem to notice her discomfort as they were too busy patting her head and cooing.

"You poor thing-"

"Who's been bothering our precious Aiko-?"

"We'll get Kyoya to send his guard after them-"

"Just tell us what's the matter-"

It was really a sight to behold. Haruhi put a hand to her face in defeat. "Guys, she can't breathe; let her go."

They didn't seem to hear Haruhi—or if they did, they just ignored her. Then, a quiet stammer from Aiko popped out: "U-Um, y-y-you don't have t-to do th-that for m-me. I ppromise, no one is b-bothering m-me."

"Then why're you so upset?" the twins questioned her. Haruhi peeked between her fingers to watch Aiko's reaction.

She mumbled something.

"What?"

A little louder, something that sounded like "I'm buried by the fest."

Hikaru blinked. "That makes no sense."

"Yeah, we can't help you until you tell us clearly," Karou added, tugging a strand of Aiko's hair.

Aiko winced a little. Taking a deep breath, she gathered all of her courage and spoke in one big rush, just loud enough for them to hear. "I'm really nervous for the math test last period because I don't think I'll pass."

It was quiet for a heartbeat—two, in fact. And then Aiko felt the arms around her torso and shoulders disappear. Blinking at the loss of weight, she turned her head to look up at the twins when something knocked against the top of her head. None to gently, either.

"Ow!" she complained, rubbing the sore spot. "Wh-what was that f-f-for?"

"Because you're being a stubborn idiot, that's why." Aiko didn't even have to guess which twin said that. Hikaru continued on, still holding the fist he'd hit her with. "If you'd have just accepted our offer to tutor you, this wouldn't be happening."

Aiko couldn't look him in the eye after hearing him say that. "I t-t-told you why I c-couldn't—"

"Excuses," Karou interrupted her, waving his hand nonchalantly. "We didn't even ask for anything in return and you still managed to weasel your way out of answering the last time."

Their words felt like physical blows to Aiko's already growing shame. And in front of Haruhi, too. Arms crossed sternly, the twins delivered one last line: "If you keep acting like this, then you'll definitely get kicked into the lower class."

They might as well have stuck a timer in her and shouted, "Done!"

"Hikaru, you're just making her feel worse," Haruhi came to Aiko's defense. The poor girl looked utterly deflated. "If you rag on her like that she'll never want you to tutor her."

"That's not my problem," Hikaru retorted. "Until she can admit her stubbornness and ask us to help her, she won't get any better in math."

Haruhi made a bland face. "Yeah, and you're one to talk about someone being stubborn, huh?"

Before Hikaru could make another remark, the teacher clapped her hands together at the front of the room, getting everyone's attention. Class was about to start. Aiko couldn't bring herself to look at the twins or Haruhi as they returned to their desks for the lesson. Needless to say, Aiko didn't hear a word of the lesson.

* * *

The longer the day wore on, the more Aiko's mood dropped. By lunch, she felt like a walking zombie from a horror movie._ Probably look like one, too._

Her stomach was so dense with knots that she couldn't even look at her bento, much less take it out and eat the food inside. So instead, she decided to take another crack at deciphering her math notes. Now that she was a little more awake, it would be easier to understand, right?

_I couldn't have been more wrong. _Aiko slumped against the sakura tree, staring forlornly at the papers spread out before her. It looked just as bad as that morning, if not worse. _Might as well just sign my name on the top of the paper and hand it back before I disgrace my father anymore. _The wind whipped through the tree branches overhead; Aiko thought it sounded like a girl wailing.

"She looks so moody out there," Karou commented as the trio walked past the windows on their way back to class. Other students were walking past them or stopping to chat with their friends before the bell sent them back to class, but no one else was looking out the windows. No one else saw the depressed girl sitting underneath the cherry blossoms.

A scoff came from Hikaru. He was looking the opposite direction from Karou, glaring at the wall. "Like I said before, it's her own fault for not accepting our offer in the first place. She deserves whatever grade she gets."

Haruhi frowned at both twins. "Hikaru, while that's true, you gotta take into account her feelings about this."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said twin demanded.

"Well, to start, you two weren't exactly giving her the kindest wake-up call on her abilities this morning, so I'm sure that has something to do with her mood," she muttered. Hikaru and Karou looked unaffected by her words, causing her brow to twitch in annoyance. _Of course they don't feel any remorse for that. What was I thinking?_

Taking a deep breath, Haruhi continued. "Second, I thought it was obvious that we can't expect her to open up to us so quickly about how badly she needs help in whatever is troubling her? Aiko will probably assume we'll take that information and spread it around school just to embarrass her."

Hikaru shrugged, looking bored with the conversation. "_Well..._"

"Stop messing around, Hikaru, I'm serious about this!"

"Alright, alright. Calm down, I was just kidding."

He held up his hands in defense against the frustrated Haruhi before she could hit him. Kaoru watched them bemusedly for a moment before holding up a hand. "Yeah, okay, Haruhi, we understand that part. But what's the third thing?"

Dropping her irritated expression, Haruhi turned back towards the window. "She's so timid and hardly ever speaks up about herself—do you really think she'd want to burden other people with her problems, even if you're the ones who offer?"

Those words seemed to do the trick. Both twins looked from Haruhi, to each other, then out the window towards Aiko. Kaoru seemed thoughtful; Hikaru just looked like he was trying not to, but ultimately failing.

Eventually, Hikaru sighed. Closing his eyes, he turned away from the window, hand behind his head. "We get it, Haruhi. But honestly, I doubt it's so much about not wanting to burden other people, and more about her being too stubborn to see that she needs help." He didn't see the deadpanned look Haruhi was giving him behind his back.

_Seriously?_

Just then, the bells chimed throughout the grounds of Ouran, telling everyone that lunch was over and classes were about to start-up again.

"Well, it's too late to help her now," Kaoru mused. He and Hikaru started walking down the hallway towards their science class, Haruhi following behind, looking defeated.

_What am I going to do with these guys?_

* * *

"Okay, class, settle down," Mr. Okanawa announced right after the bell rang for the last period to begin. The quiet murmuring of students ceased after a few seconds, their attention on him. "I will now pass out the tests. When you have finished, please place it on this stool and return to your desk quietly; last person to finish will gather the papers and bring them to my desk."

It could have been Aiko's imagination, but it seemed like Mr. Okanawa looked right at her when he said that last part. The idea made her already non-existent confidence dissipate into smoke.

"Eyes on your own paper. Good luck, everyone."

Soon the sound of papers rustling and fingers punching in calculator buttons filled the room, along with the occasional cough or muttered curse.

Normally, Aiko would have been in her test-zone, reading over questions and answering them with little effort. By the time half of class had gone by, she'd be on the last question, or already done. This time, however, she'd been stuck on one problem for the last five minutes.

_I just don't get this_, she lamented, biting her bottom lip. _How do they expect me to simplify this problem and find the zeros when they just have a number and some fancy _i_ after it? It's an imaginary number, so why do I have to find it?_

As Aiko was contemplating what sick, twisted mind came up with these concepts for first-year math students, she became aware of someone walking past her on both sides of the desk. Confused, she looked up, only to have her jaw drop in disbelief.

Kaoru placed his finished test on the stool, with Hikaru's following mere seconds later. They looked at each other and smiled, snickering and exchanging a high-five.

_No way! How are they done with this already?_ Aiko couldn't believe what her eyes were telling her. _I know they offered to tutor me, but this is ridiculous!_

Her inner turmoil seemed to be blatantly displayed on her face, for when the twins walked past her desk again, they gave her knowing smirks. They just oozed _'I told you so.'_

Aiko sat in her seat, dejected. A dark aura seemed to form around her as the twins snickered at her misery. _This is really turning out as the worst Wednesday ever. _

Even though Aiko had given up on not finishing last, that didn't mean she was giving up on the test itself. As the minutes ticked by, she managed to trudge her way through the questions; there were a few that seemed to click in her mind easier than others, so she spent the majority of her time looking for those questions and not wallowing over the harder ones.

Quiet murmurs of conversation started up again as more people finished their test. By the time she got to the last question, everyone in class had already finished the test ten minutes before. She glanced at the clock mounted above the teacher's desk. _Ten minutes of class left. That's honestly the most time I've taken to finish any test._

Aiko put her pencil down and let out a deep breath, managing a grim smile. _Well, it took a lot out of me, but at least I finished it. No one can say I didn't try my hardest._

When she stood, all conversation died, leaving the classroom pin-drop silent. Aiko's footsteps echoed through the room as she made her way to the stool to get the other finished papers. She could feel every pair of eyes on her back as she handed them to Mr. Okanawa; her stomach twisted.

"Thank you, Miss Nakamura. You may take your seat."

Nodding, Aiko turned around, eyes downcast so she wouldn't meet the gaze of any of her classmates—but she didn't have to look up to know that Nijimi was giving her a smug look as Aiko took her seat. Slowly, conversation returned, only this time, it seemed much more menacing.

Quite suddenly, two overly familiar voices popped up on either side of Aiko.

"_So_-"

"-how'd you do?"

She cringed at the twins' tones. They might as well have said _We all know you failed, but we'll play along and ask first._ As if Aiko needed any more reminder that she struggled with that test—or that she'd need a miracle to pass it.

The twins waited out her silence with expectant looks on their faces.

"I-" Aiko faltered. She took a deep breath before continuing, face burning in shame. "I t-tried my best...but I doubt...that my sc-score will be very high." Unable to look up at them, Aiko ducked her head and watched her twiddling thumbs.

One of the twins put a hand on her desk, leaning on it. "Well, it's not like we expected anything better," Kaoru admitted, shrugging his other shoulder.

Hikaru, mimicking his brother, added, "You can't expect to get more than what you put in, after all."

If this was their way of offering their condolences, it was very twisted; Aiko didn't feel comforted at all. But, she figured, their words didn't make her feel any worse, either. _However twisted they are, at least they mean what they say_, Aiko concluded.

"Um..." The twins looked down at the girl, intrigued. "Even th-though I m-might get a failing grade...I bet you two w-will do great. You're both really good at m-m-math." Plucking up her courage, Aiko managed to peek up at them from under her bangs.

Her words surprised both twins, as did her earnest expression; Hikaru found that looking into those hazel eyes was too much for him, and glanced away. Kaoru simply grinned, giving Aiko a thumbs-up. "Thanks!"

* * *

By the time Mako helped her out of the car in front of the manor, Aiko was completely exhausted. And starving. With all of her anxiety and panic over the test, she hadn't eaten anything all day, and it was finally starting to catch up to her as the adrenaline left her system.

"Welcome home, young miss," Hana greeted Aiko as she opened the door. The maid stood by patiently as Aiko slipped off her shoes. "I hope you had a good day at school."

Making a noncommittal sound in the back of her throat, Aiko picked up her school bag and headed straight for the stairs to her room. Hana trailed behind her, unsure of how to interpret her mood. "U-Um, young miss, we'll have your snack waiting at the table for when you freshen up. Is that alright?"

This time, Aiko managed to mumble, "Thanks, Hana," before disappearing upstairs. Hana watched her go with a concerned look.

Once she was changed and fed, Aiko somehow managed to make her way into the sitting room where her mother's piano sat, wood gleaming as if it'd been made just yesterday. For a long moment, Aiko stood in front of the keys, running a hand across the mantle. Not a speck of dust; the maids made sure that anything that had belonged to Kokoro was spotless, as if waiting for her approval upon her return home.

"But she's not coming back," Aiko murmured to the empty room. "Not anymore."

Sitting down at the stool, Aiko was transported back to when she was much younger and just beginning to learn her mother's trade. Kokoro had personally overseen Aiko's lessons since the beginning. "A piano is more than a musical instrument," she'd often say, with Aiko listening in rapt attention. "It is an extension of the pianists' soul—of _your_ soul. When you play a note, you are playing a piece of yourself for everyone to hear. Do you understand?"

Aiko would always nod, though she didn't understand, not really. A seven-year old wasn't the best at metaphors, after all. Kokoro would then take Aiko's hand in hers, and she'd say, "That is why you must never say 'I hate that' to a pianist, Aiko. Because you are not insulting the music, but their soul itself. And the soul is something that we must take great care in protecting, for it is the most sensitive part of us. Understand?"

And she'd nod again, and Kokoro would smile. "That's my smart girl."

Aiko continued practicing the piano, and her mother would always say those words, but it took a long time before Aiko understood what she meant by taking care of someone's soul. By then, though, her mother had died.

She hadn't touched the piano since then.

_An extension of my soul... _Aiko looked down at her hands, resting in her lap. She could imagine them smaller, the hands of a child, being held in her mother's larger ones. She could see the serious look in Kokoro's eyes as she asked "Do you understand?"

Her hands balled into fists. _I understand, Mom. I do. But I didn't take care of it like you told me to. I didn't protect myself. I'm sorry._

Unbidden, Hikaru's voice from earlier that day replayed in her mind. _"You can't expect to get more than what you put in, after all."_

Aiko looked down at her fists; she unclenched them. Lifting them to the keys, Aiko took a deep breath before letting her fingers dance across the ivory notes, allowing them to take a mind of their own as they composed the familiar song. It was one of her mother's favorite pieces—a haunting, eerie piece that used to both frighten and enthrall Aiko. Her mother's long, nimble fingers would fly across the keys on a moment's whim, like a great chase was being held.

She'd always asked why that song was Kokoro's favorite, since it was so dark and scary, when her mother was such an open and kind person. Her mother would smile and say, "Because, before I had you, I didn't take very good care of my soul. And this is to remind me to never forget that."

_But why would you want to remember something so sad?_

"Because that is how a soul grows stronger, Aiko. You can't just remember the good things, or expect only happiness. You must expect the worse, but hope for the best in everything you do. Those are words to live by."

* * *

In other parts of the house, the maids and other servants began to take notice of the music permeating the usual silence. Many of them exchanged joyful smiles at the meaning behind the sound.

"It seems Miss Aiko is playing again-"

"-missed her music so much."

"-wonder what caused her to play?"

"This is Miss Kokoro's favorite piece, remember?"

"-so like her mother, she is."

"I hope whoever inspired her to play again stays around. Just a bit longer."

And for just a moment, they were able to stop their chores, and just listen, and hope.

* * *

Like I said, very depressing at the end. But I made the last line a little less in hopes that it wouldn't bring the mood down too much.

The question for Aiko for this chapter is as follows:

**SmolderingBlackRose: **Um, I have a question for Aiko. If she could be any animal, what would she be?

And for the first time, Aiko is making her appearance in an Author's note! _*clapping*_

Aiko: Uh...h-hi.

Okay, then, Aiko, in answer to SBR's (hope you don't mind, I don't feel like typing your entire username every time xD), what animal would you like to be?

Aiko: _*tilts her head and put her finger over her mouth thoughtfully* _Hmm... E-Even though I like a l-lot of animals, I guess m-my top pick would be...a horse.

Interesting. Care to enlighten our dear readers?

Aiko: S-Sure. I th-think I'd be a horse because...um, th-they're s-shy creatures, but also form very strong bonds with other horses, too.

Nicely done, Aiko. I think horses fit you as well. Because while they are shy, they are also very protective of their young, and are incredibly graceful and beautiful when they're full frown. Colts are usually the shyest and easily frightened, not to mention kinda clumsy.

Aiko: _*confused blinking* _...th-thanks?

Ha! You're welcome.

* * *

Also, from **KangMina:** I think I want to know Aiko's favorite color.

Aiko: Oh, that's easy. Blue.

Any specific color blue?

Aiko: P-P-Preferably dark blue. But I a-also like a l-lighter blue.

Very nice. We have that in common then, though I like all blues.

* * *

Once again, thank y'all for your sweet reviews, favorites, and follows! I enjoy each and every one of them-it helps inspire me to write the best chapters I can for y'all! Ask Aiko more questions in your reviews, pretty please! She needs the exercise of talking to other people. Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!


	7. A Kendo Tournament Reunion!

A/N: I'm not too happy with the way this chapter turned out because I feel like I rambled a lot, but my friends told me it was good, so I'm posting it like this. Hope you guys enjoy it! Quick shout-out to **Kang Mina **and **SmolderingBlackRose **for being such faithful reviewers!

_****edit note: horizontal line breaks added to review section on 10-14-14****_

_Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters, places, and events are _not_ mine. They all belong to the creator, the very wonderful and talented Bisco Hatori! This piece of fiction does not profit from anyone and I do not receive anything but happiness that my fic might be read by y'all._

* * *

SEVEN

Mr. Okanawa leaned back against his desk at the front of the room as his students filed in, still chatting away from their walk to the classroom. He was keeping his eye on the clock to make sure there were no late stragglers—of which there usually were none, but he was always checking—and to make sure to catch one student in particular when she walked in.

"-so, what're you're plans this weekend, Aiko?"

There she was. Nakamura was just walking in the door with those Hitachiin brothers and Fujioka tagging along, the former talking just loud enough for him to hear all the way across the room. Adjusting his glasses, Mr. Okanawa straightened and made his way over to the quartet.

"Miss Nakamura." The four immediately stopped walking, turning their gazes upon him. Aiko looked particularly curious as to why her name was being called, which only made his job as a teacher that much harder. _And they wonder why I dislike having children in my class fail a test._ "May I speak with you a moment please? Outside, if you don't mind."

At that, her expression only seemed to turn that much more bewildered. "O-Of course, sensei. Um, excuse me," she told her friends before following behind Mr. Okanawa.

When they were both outside of the classroom and the door shut behind them, Mr. Okanawa faced Aiko. "Now, we won't have to worry about anyone overhearing this; I would hate to put you in the direct line of bullies with this conversation, Miss Nakamura."

Aiko seemed stunned with his directness. "Um, O-Okanawa-sensei, I don't understand..."

He held up a hand and she fell silent. "What I wanted to speak to you about regards your less than stellar grade on the math test from yesterday, Miss Nakamura. And the possible consequences that will follow if it were to become a habit."

"I will be handing back the tests myself so no other student will see the grade you have unless you choose to show it to them yourself. Moreover, I thought that warning you of this beforehand would keep any unpleasant...erm, reactions from disrupting the rest of the class." To be frank, he just didn't want her to get depressed in the middle of his lesson; she didn't need to miss out on any more information than she already was.

Blunt, yes, but as a math teacher, Mr. Okanawa had always felt the need to point out all facts to the students so any misunderstandings would be kept to a minimum—as was the case that moment. Aiko seemed to understand immediately what he was getting at, even though the test wasn't in her hands yet. She seemed to find sudden interest in the floor at her feet, face growing red. "Y-Yes, sensei..."

Mr. Okanawa's gaze softened behind his glasses as he looked at the pitiful girl. Contrary to popular belief of math teachers worldwide, he _did_ have a heart, and seeing one of his students look so down wasn't exactly on his to-do list.

"I also called you out here to make sure that you are adjusting well to Ouran after coming so late into the school-term. Under normal circumstances, being a new student is difficult, I understand, but this is also the first time you've been to a non-boarding school in a while, am I right?" She nodded, and he continued on. "As I recall, your father had to pull a few strings to get you enrolled; and on top of that, your math score on the entrance exam was borderline, correct?"

Aiko only seemed to shrink in on herself more at his last statement. "Y-Yes, sensei..." Unconsciously, it seemed, her hands clenched into fists. "But m-m-math is truly th-the only part I struggled in. All of m-my other scores were m-m-more than satisfactory."

Mr. Okanawa was already nodding. "I know, I saw them myself. And you truly are a bright student, Miss Nakamura, don't misunderstand me. I'm sure if you'd been in my class from the beginning, your score on this test would be much higher. As it is, though, I would hate to have to make an appointment with your father and the school registrar-"

"P-Please, sensei!" Aiko exclaimed suddenly, looking up at him with pleading eyes. Taken aback, Mr. Okanawa fell silent. "I promise I ccan do better! The n-next test I won't let you d-down!"

Silence stretched on between student and teacher as Aiko realized the rudeness of her actions, and hastily bowed. "I apologize f-f-for sh-shouting like th-that, Okanawa-sensei. P-Please f-f-f-forgive me."

He stared at her for a few more moments. Clearing his throat, he adjusted his glasses before stating rather gruffly, "That's alright, Miss Nakamura. No need to apologize." Aiko peeked up at him from beneath her bangs and stood straight at a gesture from him. "As long as you are positive that you can pull your test grade up next time, I don't see a class change in your near future."

And, for possibly the first time since she'd been in his class, Aiko offered Mr. Okanawa a smile, albeit a small, relieved one. "Thank you, sensei."

"Yes...well..." Mr. Okanawa coughed. "As I said, you are a very bright young lady, Miss Nakamura. And I expect nothing but the best from my students because I know they are capable of that, and much more."

"Yes, sensei."

"If there's nothing else you wish to discuss, I believe we should return to class." Another nod from his student. Mr. Okanawa opened the door for Aiko to walk in first, shutting it behind himself and walking to the front of the class. Conversation seemed to drift off slightly as Aiko returned to her seat, and he had the distinct feeling that they were all watching her reaction to judge what had transpired outside the classroom.

_Kids these days. So nosy. _Clapping his hands together to get their attention away from Aiko, Mr. Okanawa announced, "Before I begin with the lesson, I will pass out the tests from yesterday so you may all see your grades. Any questions about them can be brought up with me after class."

* * *

There were some murmurs among the students as they received their tests back one at the time: some cheerful, others less than pleased, but none seemed overall dismayed at their scores. Nijimi, much to Aiko's bitterness, seemed expectant, grinning smugly down at her paper.

Aiko didn't need telepathy to know she was gloating in her head.

_Must be nice to know you'll get a perfect grade no matter what..._

Someone cleared their throat in front of her, and Aiko snapped out of her self-pitying party to glance up. Mr. Okanawa was giving her a steady gaze as he held out her test. Aiko immediately felt ashamed as she took the paper; the teacher moved on with one last pitying look on his features.

Although she'd been warned beforehand of the severity of her lacking skills in math, Aiko still couldn't believe her eyes as she stared at the red pen marking up her paper. _A 54?! I scored a 54?!_ Her hands shook and it took her entire will not to make it obvious she wanted to rip up the paper.

_No!_ She shut her eyes tightly, chiding herself. _Okanawa-sensei will be watching me to make sure I don't act like this! I can't be so childish. _

Taking a few deep breaths to recompose herself, Aiko opened her eyes to look at her test paper, forlorn. _Well, it could have been lower than this...I can't do anything but go higher from here. Dad's counting on me to do well at this school; I can't let him down._ With that settled in her mind, Aiko wasn't as depressed as she could have been.

But that didn't mean she still wasn't disappointed in herself.

* * *

"You mean you're not having the club today?" Aiko questioned Haruhi. School had just ended, and the two were making their way down the halls towards Aiko's locker. The twins had disappeared, grinning evilly and mumbling about the class rep. Haruhi seemed to understand and looked dismayed, though Aiko was confused.

"Yeah, we get off days sometimes to give Tamaki- and Kyoya-senpai a chance to come up with the next few cosplay ideas," he informed her. "To be honest, I usually live for these days—being around that group is really tiresome, y'know?"

Aiko offered him an understanding smile. "Don't worry, I understand. Just the twins seem like a handful."

They stopped next to Aiko's locker and Haruhi voiced whether she wanted him to walk her to her driver. Shaking her head, Aiko replied, "No, th-thanks. I'm actually sticking around after school for a little while."

Haruhi perked up, curious. "Really? Have you joined a club?"

"No, not yet." Hesitating, Aiko kept her eyes on her locker. _I wonder if I should tell him that I'm staying around the watch the kendo tournament after school?_

Throughout the day, Aiko had heard many of the students talking about the tournament in between classes and during breaks in the classrooms. They all seemed excited about one participant in particular, especially the girls.

_They kept talking about "the champion," whoever that is_, she recalled. _And if the others' reactions were anything to go by, he obviously deserves that title. On top of that, I'd promised myself I'd go see a kendo tournament one of these days, and this is the perfect time. _She'd already phoned Mako to tell him not to pick her up right after school, so even if she wanted to bail, Aiko had no means of transportation.

Blinking, she realized she'd been staring into her locker for some time, and Haruhi was staring at her. Blushing, Aiko quickly put up the rest of her books and shut the locker door, laughing nervously. "Ah, s-s-sorry. I kind of s-spaced out on you."

"It's okay." Haruhi gave her another one of his charming smiles. "But are you sure you're okay staying here by yourself?"

Aiko nodded. "Yes, Haruhi, I'll be fine. You go home and enjoy your Host-free day."

Laughing, he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess you're right, huh?" With one last wave, he started making his way down the hall. "See ya'."

She waved at his retreating back until he'd turned the corner. Aiko dropped her hand, the small smile also slipping from her face. Except for a few stragglers farther down the corridor, Aiko was alone. _It feels...different from the mornings_, she mused as she searched through her bag for her phone. _The emptiness isn't as...expectant. It's almost sad, an__d to be honest, __a bit creepy._

When she located her phone, Aiko was surprised to see that her text icon was flashing at her. She clicked the _read_ button to open it. It was just Yumi reminding her to be careful and not talk to any suspicious people, like any yakuza that could be at the tournament, stalking her.

"I know she means well, but sometimes Yumi can just be really overbearing," Aiko remarked quietly. Sighing, she closed her phone and started making her way to the gymnasium where the kendo tournament would be held. _I'll be super early—it doesn't start til' six. But I can just look over the club list while I wait. And this way I'm bound to get a good seat._

She _was_ indeed very early; they were still setting up the mats and roping off the seats from the main floor when Aiko entered. But no one shooed her away, so she assumed it was okay for her to be there.

Aiko quickly chose a seat in the stands where she would be able to see most of what was going on while not in any danger of being squished by the crowds that would surely be there. She wouldn't even admit to herself how much courage it took just to think about trying to watch the kendo matches in such a crowd.

_Back then, Mom was always with me, so it wasn't so scary_, she mused, looking down at her lap.

Aiko shook her head to get rid of such heavy thoughts. She pulled out her list of clubs, flipping through the pages and continuing to cross out the ones she knew she wouldn't be joining. As she did that, time flew by, and it was nearly six o'clock. People had started to make their way inside the gym, the multiple conversations around her making it grow steadily noisier. The more people who sat down, the more fidgety Aiko became.

"I can do this," she muttered to herself. She breathed deeply through her nose, then out through her mouth to try to calm her sporadic pulse. "It's just like watching at home—just pretend I'm in my room. By m-myself."

That was Aiko's mantra as the stands around her erupted into cheers as the Ouran team came running out, matching masks and black kendo uniforms on. Her budding anxiety seemed to disappear as a wide grin took over her features. Her cheers mingled with the others' as she examined each other the members on Ouran's team, trying to pick out the champion.

One member in particular caught her attention. He was easily the tallest on the team, though Aiko couldn't see his face with his mask on. _He looks imposing,_ she decided. The teams bowed to each other, and the young man returned with his peers to their side to sit. The match had begun.

Aiko cheered with the best of them as their members came up one by one. As expected, they were all extremely skilled, but so were their opponents, so each match was very balanced. By the time the tournament was almost over, Ouran was only leading by a small margin of points, and Aiko was starting to get worried. _If that "champion" doesn't go out soon, we'll lose the tournament._

Suddenly, a lot of incomprehensible screaming rose up from a large group of girls in the front rows of the stands; Aiko glanced out to the mats to see what had gotten them so excited. To her surprise, the tall young man from earlier had just walked out to face his first opponent of the night. That was probably the champion everyone had talked about at school that day—and if they were going strictly off looks, he definitely looked like one with that build.

He bowed to his opponent, then readied for the signal. As soon as it was given, he jumped into action, quickly striking his opponent before the other guy had time to move. Aiko watched in fascination. _He's—he's so _fast_!_

It was like no one could touch him. Even for his size and obvious lank, each blow was delivered with precision and his sword carried a lot of power with it. The few opponents that managed to take a few swipes at him were easily dodged. Before she knew it, the last opponent was struck and Ouran's champion had won them the tournament.

Aiko stood and cheered with everyone around her, feeling her heart race in something other than panic for the first time in a while.

It was a wonderful feeling.

The others around her started making their way out of the stands to go congratulate the team, who was already swarming around their champion in excitement, patting him on the arms and grinning. They'd already taken off their masks and Aiko recognized a few faces from around the school. But then the champion removed his mask, and Aiko felt her heart stop.

Disbelief colored her tone as she stuttered out, "M-_Mori-senpai_?"

The champion she'd just saw strike down every opponent he faced—the one with such speed, power, and accuracy, the one that moved with such grace it was like he danced—that was Mori-senpai? Aiko never knew he was so _strong_. She knew she was gaping and she probably looked idiotic, but it was such a revelation that Aiko couldn't move.

_Wow..._

Almost like he could sense her admiration from the stands, Mori glanced up and their eyes locked over the distance.

Aiko's face flushed at his gaze. It was almost..._expectant_? Like he'd known she'd been there the entire time? That couldn't be it—she hadn't seen him or Honey-senpai for two weeks now. And then it struck her. If Mori was there, then that meant Honey was someplace close by as well. Even if she'd only just met the two, Aiko could tell they weren't easily separated.

So that look wasn't because Mori had expected _her_ to be there—it was because he knew Honey would follow his gaze _to _her.

As that realization set in, a feeling of dread began to lower itself onto Aiko. Tearing her gaze away from Mori, she began to pick her way down the stands as fast as she dared; her feet hit the floor and Aiko made a beeline for the exit.

_I'm not ready to face Honey-senpai yet!_ She exclaimed. _He's going to be so disappointed in me—I won't be able to bear the look in his eyes... _Aiko had just made it out the door when she heard the familiar nickname:

"Aiko-chan!"

Honey wrapped his arms around Aiko's shoulders from behind, sending them in a dizzying twirl that nearly landed Aiko on her butt in the grass. She closed her eyes tightly—both in an attempt not to throw-up and to avoid making eye contact with the blond senior.

"H-Honey-senpai..."

The arms dropped from her shoulders, shocking Aiko so much that she dared to open her eyes a crack. Hazel irises met with the honey-brown of Mitsukini Haninozuka, pink flowers and all. He was grinning excitedly and dancing around like he had to go to the bathroom really bad. Words tumbled out of his mouth faster than Aiko could understand them.

"-and then Kyo-chan said that you'd had a meeting with your dad and apologized for you, but I couldn't seem to find you after that. Were you avoiding me and Takashi, Aiko-chan?" His expression turned more serious than Aiko had ever seen Honey in the short time she'd known him; but he also looked a little hurt.

If his words were meant to make her feel ashamed, they were certainly doing their job. Aiko hid her face behind her bangs to avoid looking at Honey. "S-Senpai...I...I'm-m sorry..."

"So you _were_ avoiding me?" Silent, Aiko nodded. "But why, Aiko-chan?"

There was a heavy pressure on Aiko's chest at his question. It felt like she couldn't breathe. _I can't tell him...he'll hate me..._ But she owed Honey at least an explanation, even if it wasn't a good one. He deserved that much kindness from her after all the things he did for her.

"Because, Honey-senpai...I...I couldn't f-face you af-fter running out llike th-th-that," Aiko admitted in a small voice. She knew he could hear her. The crowd from the tournament had dispersed almost completely; only a few families of the club members were still mingling around, retelling the more exciting moments. "I couldn't stand y-you lookin-ng...d-d-d-disap-ppointed in m-me...I let you d-down..."

Both of them were silent for a long time. The bugs chirped around them in the slowly darkening evening.

_He hates me_, Aiko moaned. _He hates me now, I'm sure of it..._

"But I'm not disappointed in you, Aiko-chan."

Sucking in a breath, Aiko looked at the senior in front of her with wide eyes. Honey met her gaze, smiling sweetly. "Y-You're not?" she asked, disbelieving.

He shook his head. "Nope."

"But why? I th-thought..."

"Aiko-chan, I'm not disappointed in you. Sure, I was a little sad when you left without saying goodbye, but I should've made sure you were sitting with me and Takashi before the club started. You probably thought that we'd left you behind. I'm sorry."

The look in his eyes was so sincere that Aiko felt her shame melting away with his assurances. He giggled, giving her a thumbs-up as those little pink flowers popped up around his head again. "It's not your fault. So don't feel bad, 'kay?"

The tension in Aiko's shoulders relaxed. He really wasn't angry at her.

Aiko allowed her lips to pull up into a satisfied half-smile. "O-Okay..."

"Good!"

At that moment, a tall, dark figure walked up, stopping next to Honey. Glancing up revealed it as Mori, changed out of his kendo uniform and looking pretty tired. "Takashi!" Honey exclaimed, climbing up onto his cousin's shoulder. "Guess what? Aiko-chan's not mad at us for forgetting about her—she thought we were mad cause she left without saying goodbye. But I told her we weren't, so it's all better now! Isn't that great?"

Cool gray eyes glanced from his cousin to a flustered Aiko. "Yeah."

"M-Mori-senpai..." Aiko stammered, rocking from leg to leg. "I'm sorry for causing y-you and Honey-senpai s-s-so much trouble." She bowed slightly. "Th-Thank you for unders-standing."

And though she couldn't see it, Mori gave his small smile. "Hmm."

Straightening, Aiko hesitated before adding, "And, also—y-you were really great in th-the tournament, Mori-senpai." A blush pooled across her cheeks. "You were r-really cool."

Mori's eyes widened at the sudden compliment; his face grew warmer than usual, much to his astonishment. His emotions usually didn't show so freely like that; he must indeed be really tired. Looking down at the blushing girl, he felt something softening inside of him—and just this once, he didn't bother hiding the affection in his eyes as he ruffled her hair with a gentle hand. "Thanks."

Which only made Aiko blush more and stammer out a "You're welcome."

Honey just sat there, grinning, throughout their exchange. "Yay! It's all good now! Right, Aiko-chan?"

"..._y__eah_."

* * *

Despite her protests, both Honey and Mori stayed with Aiko until her ride showed, even after she assured them multiple times that she'd be fine by herself.

Honey wouldn't hear of it. "Even if that's true, we can't let a girl be by herself so late at night. Someone could snatch you up, and we wouldn't be able to protect you, Aiko-chan!"

She'd then reasoned that Mori was probably tired and should already be at home asleep instead of waiting with her, to which Honey had then replied: "Takashi won't be able to sleep until he knows you're safe at home. Right, Takashi?" And Mori had nodded and said, "Right."

So, in the end, the two seniors stayed right by Aiko's side until Mako puled up in the town car, apologizing profusely to Aiko for being so late. She'd tried to wave off his apologies before he made a big scene—to which Mako ignored and then continuously thanked Honey and Mori for seeing to "young miss Aiko's safety" while she waited.

Needless to say, Aiko was blushing furiously all the way back home.

* * *

The next morning rolled around with a clear sky and heavenly warmth. Aiko felt better than she had in the past two weeks, and it showed. The cooks were smiling among themselves, convinced it was a boy causing that "kindly expression on the young miss' face." She let them think what they would, because God knows they'd still think that even if she refuted the fact.

As Mako pulled up to the school, he took a longer time getting around to her door. Confused at the delay, though not irked, Aiko glanced out the window. Her mouth dropped open in surprise as Mako finally opened her door. "Honey-senpai? M-Mori-senpai?"

The little blond senior giggled from his perch atop Mori's shoulders, looking away from greeting Mako. "Good morning, Aiko-chan! Did you get enough sleep last night?"

To say she was surprised was a bit of an understatement. She quickly bowed as Mako pulled away, saying he'd be there on time to pick her up. "Honey-senpai...yes, I slept f-fine. Good morn-ning. Um-m, good morning to you, too, Mori-senpai."

He acknowledged her greeting with a small nod of his own. Aiko straightened from her bow.

"Um...I'm s-sorry for asking, but w-w-why-?

"We're here to walk you to class, silly!" Honey interrupted. "Just like your first day! Except this time, we'll make sure you don't run into anyone, 'kay?"

Aiko blushed at the reminder of her near-blunder down the stairs her first day. "Y-You don't have to do th-that, Honey-senpai—I know m-my way around the school better, now."

"Heh. I know," he answered. Looking up at him, Aiko saw a different kind of smile there, unlike his usual childish grin. This one was...softer; more subdued. Mature, almost. When he smiled that way, she could actually picture Honey as a high school senior. "But this way, it's easier to make up for the lost time. Don't you think?"

Not knowing how to respond, Aiko simply nodded. In an instant, Honey was back to his cheerful, giggly self. "Great! Let's go!"

Aiko smiled to herself as she trotted up next to Mori, and the three entered the school's gates. They walked lazily towards the steps as Honey chattered about anything and everything that came to his mind. His enthusiasm to know everything that had happened to Aiko during their two-week "absence," as he called it, made her happier than she expected.

It was a nice feeling. One Aiko hadn't experienced in a while.

Her mood went down slightly when Honey asked his next question: "Aiko-chan, why did you run from the Host Club that day?"

_"What?"_ Where had this come from?

Honey didn't notice her shock, or he was very good at ignoring it. Instead, he focused his eyes on his Usa-chan, playing with his ears. "I forgive you for running, Aiko-chan, so I'm not asking 'cuz I'm mad. But I still wanna know why so we can know what to do next time to keep you from running."

He looked over at his junior, smiling. "Because we really want you to come back, Aiko-chan."

Aiko stared at him, blinking dumbly. He wanted to know _why? _It's not like he didn't have the right to know—_she'd_ run out on _him_, after all—but admitting to being afraid of a crowd of girls wasn't something Aiko had prepared herself for that morning. She bit down on her lip, hesitating; Honey (and Mori, as well) waited expectantly for her to speak.

"W-Well...you see, Honey-senpai...I'm just—I'm not v-v-very good w-with...crow-w-wds..." she managed to explain. Aiko's cheeks were rosy in embarrassment. "Th-they make me feel...p-packed in..."

"Is that why you eat your lunch outside?"

She furrowed her eyebrows at the blond. "H-How'd you-?"

"Me and Takashi saw you eating under the sakura trees the other day," Honey admitted. "It looked lonely sitting by yourself. We know Haru-chan and the twins asked you to eat lunch with them before, and that you turned them down. Is that because you didn't like the crowd in the refectory?" The look he gave her then was unexpected in its intensity. Again, he actually looked his age for once, and that fact through Aiko for a loop.

Not only that, but he was correctly assuming most everything about her actions from just the little tid-bit of information she handed him. Aiko didn't know whether to be awed or unsettled by his cleverness.

"Aiko-chan?"

She realized she'd been staring, and apologized quickly. "Y-yes, sorry, senpai. Y-You—You're right." Then, before she could stop herself, Aiko blurted, "But it's also because I don't have any f-f-friends in m-my class yet."

Honey went silent for a heartbeat. "Takashi and I are your friends, though. Right, Takashi?"

Mori, who'd been a silent, but constant presence at Aiko's side, gave a throaty grunt without looking at either of them. Aiko was glad because that mean he wouldn't see her heavy blush—or her misty eyes.

Aiko didn't know a few simple words would move her so deeply. It meant more to her than Honey would ever know, saying those words. _Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai_, she mused to herself. _They're my..._friends_. They really are._

Her steps faltered behind Mori's, causing the dark-haired senior to stop once he'd noticed, turning a bit to face her. Honey peered down from his cousin's shoulders curiously. "What is it, Aiko-chan? Did I say something to upset you?" he questioned. They were the only people in the hallway, which was lucky; Honey wouldn't want anyone else seeing Aiko so upset.

But to his surprise, the younger girl shook her head, though she still didn't look up. Her bangs hid her expression from him. "No, Honey-senpai...I'm not upset..."

Honey and Mori stayed quiet, waiting for her to continue. It was obvious she was working up the nerve to say something else.

Aiko raised her head so that her seniors would hear her clearly. "I'm-m just..." An elated grin broke out on her face as she spoke. "I'm really happy. That you and M-Mori-senpai are m-my friends. It ma-akes me happy."

She didn't notice as she smiled that Mori and Honey's eyes had widened to almost comical ovals. They were stricken by how just...freaking _cute_ Aiko was when she smiled unabashedly like that. It actually was the first genuine grin _anyone_ had seen from the girl in years, though they were unaware of that.

Honey recovered quickly, though, a similar grin lighting up his features; even Mori had a small smile on his face. "You're so cute when you smile like that, Aiko-chan! You should do it more often!"

The spell was broken then. Aiko's grin retreated back in on itself, but she still managed a shy smile as she blushed. "Th-Thanks..."

* * *

END OF CHAPTER

Like I said, it seems a little confusing and babbl-ish to me. But Honey and Aiko are on good terms again! Yay! _*fireworks in the distance*_  
On to reviews!

* * *

**Kang Mina: **_Awesome! I love that Aiko plays the piano! 3 And it seems like Hikaru is starting to care about Aiko. Or at least, he's starting to see her as a person and feeling guilty about being mean to her. You are awesome!_

Thanks, sweetie! :3 You don't know how happy that makes me. But yes, Aiko plays the piano and two other instruments (see if you can guess the other two! here's a hint: they're both string instruments). Haha, of course Hikaru had to realize eventually that Aiko is, in fact, a human being. He's slowly starting to warm up to her. Just wait to see what I have planned for these two during summer _*evil laughter*_

* * *

And here's a question for Aiko from **SmolderingBlackRose: **_I have another question for Aiko; What's your favorite kind of music?_

Aiko: Oh...uh, w-well, I don't really kn-know all that much about p-pop culture...so I d-don't really like pop mus-sic. If I had to choose a f-f-favorite, it'd have to be classica-al.

Not to mention the fact that you know how to play the piano and such.

Aiko: ...that too.

It's okay, Aiko! Everyone loves how innocent you are. Pop culture isn't all it's cracked up to be, anyways.

Aiko: Wh-What do you m-m-mean?

_*coughs*_ Um, okay, thanks for your question SMB! It means a lot to us! Also thank you for saying such sweet things about my writing; if you want the truth, I hate how I write sometimes. I feel like a put too much emphasis on details, adding a lot of descriptions and such is a habit of mine. I've gotten _lots _better at it, trust me, but I've still got a long way to go with it. Thank you very much for saying so, though, and I hope this chapter was up to your standards!

Until next week everyone! Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!


	8. A Test of Courage

A/N:_ Guys!_ You're making me the proudest person ever, really! SO many people reviewed my last chapter and favorited and followed this story, I almost cried. There's actually so many reviews that I don't want to put them all up here and ramble, haha. But I will definitely get to them after the chapter!

_****edit note: horizontal break lines added on 7-16-14****  
****edit note: horizontal break lines added to review section on 10-14-14****_

_Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters, places, and events are _not_ mine. They all belong to the creator, the very wonderful and talented Bisco Hatori! This piece of fiction does not profit from anyone and I do not receive anything but happiness that my fic might be read by y'all._

* * *

EIGHT

Surprises seemed to be the main theme for Aiko that day. Especially where it concerned a certain senior duo. Lunchtime was a prime example of this.

"Honey-senpai? Mori-senpai?" Aiko called, blinking. "Wh-What are you two d-doing out here?"

Honey looked up from his spot in the grass next to Mori, Usa-chan hugged up to his chest. A grin broke out on his face as he saw Aiko. He waved her over. "Aiko-chan! Come sit with us; we saved you this spot!"

Although she was confused as all get out, Aiko followed her senior's instructions and sat beside them on the grass, tucking her legs beneath her. Her bento was in her hands, but she didn't open it. Her mind was still too busty taking in the bizarre scene before her.

It was like a mini desert table had been dumped on the grass in front of Honey. There were tarts and pies, brownies by the dozen; Aiko was sure she saw a crème brulee somewhere in the mix as well. But the most overwhelming sweets were the cakes. There was at least a dozen different kinds, and then another dozen Aiko didn't have a name for. It all looked delicious and frankly, Aiko wanted to have some.

Her mouth moved several times before words came out. "Um...what's all th-this, Honey-senpai? This isn't y-your lunch, is it?"

"Yep!" he answered. Like this was a normal, everyday occurrence. "You can have some if you want, Aiko-chan! Your bento doesn't look like it'll fill you up."

She blinked, remembering her own lunch. Aiko cast a glance at Mori who was munching on something, but she didn't see a bento in his hands. It was hard to believe he was eating any of the cake.

Aiko opened her bento self-consciously, aware of Honey and Mori's eyes on her. She clasped her hands together and silently thanked her cooks for the meal before pulling apart her chopsticks and digging in. It was delicious, as always, but as infilling as Honey had said before.

"Honey-senpai?" The blond Lolita looked up from his second helping of cake, cheeks stuffed. Aiko bit her lip, trying not to giggle. "Um, I th-thought you and Mori-senpai ate in th-the ref-f-fectory?"

Nodding, Honey swallowed his mouthful of cake before speaking. "We usually do."

"Then why-?" She gestured to all the sweets before them.

"Remember what I said this morning? We saw you eating out here before—and you looked really lonely, eating by yourself like that." Honey's voice dropped, and his expression softened. "Since you're afraid of the crowd in the refectory, instead of forcing you inside, we joined you out here instead. We want you to be comfortable around us, Aiko-chan." Smiling widely, Honey added, "So until you can eat in there, we'll just eat with you outside. Because that's what friends do—right, Takashi?"

Mori looked at Honey. He swallowed. "Yeah."

Turning back to Aiko proudly, Honey said, "See? Now you won't have to eat alone anymore! Isn't that great?"

Aiko blinked several times. Then she smiled, touched. "It is. Th-Thank you."

* * *

Unbeknownst to the trio outside, a group of students on their way to the refectory also witnessed the exchange going on. Haruhi and the twins paused at the window, watching in amusement as Honey managed to shove a large piece of German chocolate cake into Aiko's hands; her bento sat at her side, empty and forgotten.

"Looks like they made up," Hikaru noted. "And now Honey's already monopolizing all of her attention."

Haruhi ignored the added comment. "Yeah. Aiko looks a lot happier now than she did before, don't you think?"

"Do you think this means she'll be coming back to the club?" Kaoru wondered.

Outside, Honey looked like he was telling Aiko a particularly enjoyable story; he made many gestures with his hands and had at least seven different facial expressions at once, if that was even possible. Aiko looked riveted, either way, and was giving Honey her undivided attention.

Haruhi and Kaoru laughed quietly when Honey jumped into the air—honestly, the boy had to be part rabbit—before settling back in like nothing had ever happened.

Turning from the window, Haruhi began walking towards the refectory. "She might. At least we know she's happy. We'll all work from here."

Kaoru nodded and began to follow after the cross-dressed young woman, but Hikaru stayed behind at the window for a moment. As he watched, a strange look came across Honey's face before he burst into hysterical giggles—and Aiko followed suit with a wide smile of her own.

Hikaru blinked several times to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but that smile was still there. He couldn't lie, Aiko was always a cute girl, of that there was no contest, but no one ever really noticed because she was always hiding: behind her hair, behind her shy, stammering sentences. Seeing her grin like that for the first time—even if it wasn't directed towards Hikaru himself—was like a sucker punch to the face.

It took him a moment's notice to realize that he was staring at her smile with a slack jaw. Hikaru closed it quickly, then glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. He looked back outside, but the smile had disappeared.

_Geez_, he worried internally, rubbing the back of his head. _That was lucky. You'd think I'd never seen a cute girl before..._ But even as he thought that, Aiko's cheerful expression resurfaced in his mind's eye.

When he joined his brother and friend soon after, he played off the pink in his cheeks to the heat.

* * *

After Honey had eaten his fill of the sweets (in the end, he'd forced Aiko to have a piece of the German chocolate cake, carrot cake, and a slice of apple pie, much to her dismay), the two seniors also escorted Aiko to the door of her science class. The students returning from their own lunch gawked as the trio went by; some of them looked envious, while others just looked infatuated.

Both were incredibly embarrassing to Aiko.

"Well, have a good class, Aiko-chan!" Honey cheered from Mori's shoulder. The quiet senior nodded his head, including himself in his cousin's well-wishes.

Aiko's already pink cheeks darkened. "Th-thank you, Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai. And thank you f-f-for the sweets. Th-they were very good."

Honey giggled. "You're welcome! See ya' later!"

Bowing once more, Aiko quickly scurried into her classroom to escape the eyes of the other students. _And hopefully settle my stomach after eating so much cake_, she added in her head, resting a hand on her overly-full stomach. _Those were really big cakes and Honey-senpai ate _all _of them with no help from me _or _Mori-senpai._

Aiko was just about to take her seat when two very distinctive voices cut across her consciousness.

"Looks like you had a nice lunch-"

"-_eh_, Aiko?"

Jumping at the sudden comments, Aiko spun around—only to give a quiet squeak as she realized she was sandwiched between the grinning twins and her desk. Nowhere to hide.

She tried to play-off her reaction (and avoid meeting their eyes) by grasping at her hair and smoothing a section of it over and over. Another nervous habit of hers Yumi was forever trying to get her out of—apparently young women shouldn't "unnecessarily fuss over themselves" in the presence of others, especially young men.

"Uh...wh-what do you m-m-mean?" she inquired.

Their grins only widened and took on a more devilish appearance, making Aiko wince. The twin on the right, Kaoru this time, replied with, "Oh, no special reason."

"Just that you were looking pretty happy with Honey-senpai's attention, is all," Hikaru continued. He turned to his brother with a knowing look. "After seeing them, I'd say that Honey-senpai is definitely Aiko's type. Don't you agree, Kaoru?"

"Totally! Can't believe we didn't see her as a Lolita lover from the beginning-"

"-seems to suit her, don't you think?"

It took a moment for their words to register meaning in Aiko's head; vaguely, she remembered Tamaki and his introduction of the various "types" of the Host Club members. Heat bathed the back of her neck all the way to the tips of her ears as she vehemently shook her head. "N-N-No, no! Th-That's n-not...y-you're as-s-ssuming...r-really, Hikaru..."

Haruhi, bless him, chose that moment to walk over and intervene before Aiko could really work up a steam.

"Come on, guys, quit teasing her," he chided the twins, who were openly snickering at Aiko's flustered stammering. "You forgot that she's not used to this kind of thing, yet."

Hikaru threw an arm around Haruhi's shoulder; Kaoru followed suit on his other side. Both pouted at their friend. "Aw, Haruhi," Hikaru whined, "why do you have to ruin our fun?"

"Yeah, it's not like she didn't know we were just teasing," his brother added, waving a finger around.

"People don't always understand what's going through your warped minds, so I wouldn't be surprised if she _didn't_ know," Haruhi grumbled. He was rewarded with more comments from the twins while Aiko watched on in disbelief.

_They were..._teasing_ me?_ Aiko placed a hand over her chest, feeling her still racing heartbeat. _I thought they were being serious!_ _The twins are so mean!_

* * *

And they didn't stop their teasing for the rest of the day, meaning Aiko's few breaks in the hallways between classes filled with snickering, stammering, and sighing. That last one was Haruhi, who just followed behind the others in exasperation.

And it was also because of the constant attention that Aiko had completely forgotten what she'd set out that morning to do.

It was the last period of the day, math, when she remembered, thanks to a little unintentional help from Mr. Okanawa.

"Don't forget, class, our next test will be next Friday," he'd announced with five minutes left of the school day. The other students stopped in their packing to listen. "I have review sheets at my desk for anyone who wants them. Have a good weekend."

With that said, the conversation in the room increased in volume at the reminder that today was Friday. But while her classmates chattered excitedly about their weekend trips and other plans, Aiko sat at her desk, stricken.

_That's right_, she panicked. _I was so wrapped up with the twins' teasing that I totally forgot that I needed to ask them!_

Last night, after returning home from the kendo tournament, Aiko had gone up to her room and gotten ready for bed when she'd noticed her failed math test sitting on her cluttered desk. She remembered the talk Mr. Okanawa had given her before handing back her test—and then after that, Nijimi's smug expression.

She'd laid in bed for a long time thinking things over before coming to a conclusion: she needed a tutor. No—she needed _tutors_. Honey's forgiving words had lifted a heavy weight from Aiko's shoulders that she hadn't realized had hung over her, allowing Aiko to focus on her present problem.

_Another bad test score, and I'll get bumped into the next class_, she'd thought right before falling asleep. _Okay, I've decided. Tomorrow, I'll accept Hikaru and Kaoru's offer to tutor me..._

That is, _if_ they were still offering.

And it was this new worry that made Aiko hesitate in class right then.

_"-it's not like we expected anything better."_

_ "You can't expect to get more than what you put in."_

_ They'll probably laugh in my face if I ask them now, after saying all that_, Aiko thought to herself, dejected. _But if I don't get a tutor—or tutors—I'll definitely fail that test next week!_

Mr. Okanawa's stern expression from the other day popped into her head, making Aiko cringe.

Suddenly, chimes rang throughout the school startling Aiko from her thoughts. The school day was officially over—and, Aiko realized with a sinking heart, so was her chance to get tutors. Hikaru and Kaoru were already making their way down the hall by the time she came to her senses.

_No! I have to ask them before they get to the club!_ Steeling her nerves, Aiko hurried out of the classroom, nearly running into some other students. "S-Sorry!" she apologized quickly, straining to catch a sight of the twins.

_There!_ They were just turning the corner when Aiko called out to them.

"Hikaru! Kaoru!"

Both boys turned around, and the surprise was obvious in their expressions as they saw her jogging after them. "Aiko?" they questioned, looking from the panting girl to each other, then back again. "What is it?"

Breathing heavily, Aiko replied, "I...w-wanted to...accept...y-y-your off-fer...as tutors..."

Twin eyebrows rose; one pair incredulously, the other shocked. "_Re-ally?_

Aiko nodded quickly, then instantly regretted her choice of words. Her cheeks went pink. "Th-that is, if y-you'll still consider it. I would be r-really gratef-f-ful to you both. I...I really n-need your help. Please," she added earnestly, bowing her head for added emphasis.

Hikaru and Kaoru were silent, most likely having a private conversation over her head. Aiko kept her head bowed, holding her breath in anticipation.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Hikaru's voice broke the silence. "At least you're admitting that you'll fail without our help. Took you long enough."

Aiko lifted her head, not hiding the hopeful look in her eyes. Hikaru was looking away from her with an unreadable expression, hand on his hip. She glanced at Kaoru, who gave her a kindly smile and a wink. "Y-You mean-?"

"Call us your new tutors!" Kaoru exclaimed excitedly, pumping his fist into the air.

Relief flowed through Aiko's veins. She let out the breath she'd been holding. "Thank you. So m-much..."

"Yeah, yeah." Hikaru coughed into his fist before turning back to face her, still with a vaguely irritated look on his face. Though, Aiko liked to think that light in his eyes was a little excited as well. "Thank us after you pass the test."

Kaoru held out his hand. "Your phone."

She looked at his hand in confusion. "Uh..."

"Well, we obviously can't help you out today." They pointed behind themselves down the corridor, towards the music room. "We've got club today. And we're already late, talking to you. So give us your phone so we can swap contact info."

"Oh!" Reaching into her bag, Aiko extracted her phone and passed it into Kaoru's waiting hand. "R-Right..."

"Hey! You have the same kind of phone we do!" Both twins pulled out their phones to compare; Hikaru's was a light blue, while Kaoru's was orange. They both contrasted greatly with Aiko's darker blue case.

"We had another one," Hikaru told her as Kaoru punched in their numbers on her phone. "But we gave it to Haruhi because sh—_he_ didn't have one. We added ourselves into her top five to mess with the boss, too."

Aiko furrowed her brows. "Boss...? Oh, y-you mean Tamaki-senpai." He nodded, looking relieved for some reason. She brushed it off. "Well, th-that was sweet of you. But why would Tamaki-senpai get upset?"

Before his twin could reply, Kaoru snapped Aiko's phone shut and handed it back to her, smiling. "There you go. I added our numbers to your speed-dial, too, since no one else's was set up."

"Um...th-thanks..." Aiko checked, and sure enough, their were their numbers listed under her favorites. She tried not to let it bother her that Kaoru had probably noticed the lack of numbers listed in her contacts, let alone her favorites. But if he did, he was very good at hiding it—or he didn't want to bring it up just yet.

She put her phone back in her bag. "So I guess I should let you get to you club-"

"Wait," they said, holding up their hands in a "Halt!" gesture. Aiko halted. "We still haven't decided on a date for your first tutoring session."

"But won't you be late?"

They waved off her worries with practiced ease. "We'll be fine. Once the boss hears that it was for this, he'll be all for it. Trust us."

Aiko's teeth tugged at her bottom lip. "If you're sure..."

"Of course we are. Now, what day is good for you? We're free all weekend."

Aiko racked her brain to try to remember if Yumi had scheduled any appointments for her, but came up with a blank. "I'm free, too."

The twins held their chins thoughtfully. "So how about tomorrow? We could come over for brunch; that way we'll have time to reteach you all the things you don't know, and then help you learn the stuff that'll be on the test."

When Aiko nodded, they grinned, giving her a double thumbs-up. "Great! We'll see you tomorrow at 10:30!"

* * *

Just around the corner from the three first-years, a shadow detached itself from the wall and made its way in the opposite direction. The girl's footsteps didn't make a sound as she walked, but her strides were long and purposeful. This girl had information that needed she had to share

She opened the door to one of the many salons on school grounds. A group of young women sat within, chatting amongst each other. They grew quiet upon the other's entrance.

"What is it, Izumi? You're late." This voice came from one girl sitting at the head of the gathering. Her back was long and she sat with the elegance one would expect from such a privileged and spoiled child. It was obvious she was the leader of this particular group of girls. "The tea's already been served."

The girl at the door closed it behind her and went to stand in front of the speaker. She bowed her head before speaking. "I'm sorry, Nijimi-sama. But I have some information you might want to hear."

Akihito Nijimi's eyebrow rose a fraction; her cool expression turned into one of interest. "Really? Please, do tell."

As Izumi relayed the details of what she'd overheard on the hallways between Aiko and the Hitachiin brothers. When she finished, the girls around her erupted into disquieted murmuring.

"-think she is?"

"Trying to monopolize Hikaru-kun and Kaoru-kun-"

"-the nerve of someone like her-"

"Be _quiet_."

Everyone immediately fell silent at Nijimi's command. Her voice was sharp as nails and ice-cold. When they turned to look at her, they turned away after a second thought; a few even fidgeted in their chairs, wanting to scoot farther away.

Nijimi's expression showed only a hint of her internal irritation, but they could all feel her anger bubbling under the surface. During the story, her grip had gotten tighter and tighter on the delicate China teacup in her hands—it took a lot of will power for her to relax the fingers.

Setting her cup back on its plate, she cleared her throat. The other girls watched her expectantly. "Thank you for telling me this, Izumi. You did well." Izumi bowed her head again and took her seat. "I can see that earlier warning didn't keep her away from the hosts for very long—I might actually be impressed."

"Um, Nijimi-san?" one of the girls spoke up timidly. "What are we going to do about Nakamura?"

The others around her exchanged glances and some whispered words of agreement.

"Don't worry. Even if Nakamura hasn't realized it yet, there are a certain way things and people are set up here," Nijimi assured her club members. "And she has a place in this school as well. She just hasn't figured out that it's much farther beneath us." A few giggles before it went silent again.

"We are the Ouran Tea Club, and as such, it is our duty to help out peers conduct themselves with the proper etiquette that befits them and their..._status_."

* * *

Aiko scrolled through her contacts for the seventh time since Mako had helped her into her father's limo. She just couldn't help it—this was the first time in nearly five years someone willingly put their contact info in her phone. And with a sincere purpose, too.

She didn't even want to count how many times the girls at her boarding school had given her fake or out-of-service numbers to call as a joke.

_But this time, it's for real._ That thought was enough to make her chest swell in pleasure.

They pulled up to the manor and Aiko went straight to the kitchen to look for Yumi. When she entered the dining room, however, she stopped in her tracks.

"Dad?"

Manabu looked up from the slice of pie he was tucking into and smiled at his daughter. "Ah, welcome home, sweetie. Pull up a seat; have a slice of pie. Jun just pulled it from the oven."

Aiko indeed sat, but she shook her head at the maid that brought her a slice of pie. She was still full from the cake Honey had forced on her at lunch. Instead, she gave her dad a curious look. "Dad, what are y-you doing home? It's only the afternoon—don't you have work?"

"Hmph. Are you saying you're not happy to see your old man?" Manabu demanded gruffly.

"N-No, of ccourse I am!" Aiko tried to remedy her slip-up when her father started laughing.

Ruffling her hair lovingly, he said, "I'm just teasing, Aiko. You take things too seriously." He chuckled again at her disgruntled pout. "But to answer your question, I worked through lunch so I could come home early tonight. I was _hoping_ my daughter would want to spend some time with her workaholic father for once, but it seems I was wrong." This time, he gave Aiko a wink.

She huffed, but couldn't say that she was displeased with that prospect. It had been a long time since they'd spent some quality time together. "No, I'm glad," Aiko assured him, letting her lips turn up into a small smile.

Manabu's expression softened. It was too long ago he'd seen that smile from his precious daughter. He took another bite of his pie before speaking. "So, how's school? Have you chosen a club like I asked you to?"

"I did. I turn in my slip on Monday after I fill it out."

"Good, good."

There wasn't much talking for a while as Manabu finished his pie. That was one of the things Aiko loved most about her dad—he didn't force conversation on her like most adults. He respected her preference of silence, and it worked out better between them that way.

Besides, Aiko was happy just being able to be with her father in a relaxed setting.

"Dad?" Manabu turned his gaze towards his daughter. "Um, is it alright if I h-have some...classm-mates over tomorrow? They're going to, uh, study with me for a test n-next week."

Aiko didn't want to admit that Hikaru and Kaoru were actually coming over to help her with her troublesome math skills; her father didn't need to worry about her when he had such a large corporation to run. He was counting on _her_ to deal with Ouran and her studies.

With a thoughtful expression on his face, Manabu sipped at his tea. "Hmm. I don't see why not. I'm glad you're making friends, of course—and it's for the best."

Her brow furrowed slightly. "What do you mean?"

Manabu rubbed the back of his neck, like he'd been caught lying. "Well, sweetie, I have a business meeting this weekend—it's far enough away that I've decided to book a hotel and stay there until Monday. I'm leaving early tomorrow morning, so I'm afraid I won't be able to meet your friends." He turned to her with an apologetic expression. "Sorry, Aiko. If I had known, I would have scheduled a later pick-up..."

Swallowing the growing lump in her throat, Aiko put on a reassuring smile for her dad. "That's okay. I know your work is important, Dad, so don't worry about me."

He frowned slightly. "Sweetie, you know I'm not doing this to put more distance between us, right? After...after your mother died, I know I've worked longer hours and gone on more trips than I used to-"

"Dad." Aiko reached over and placed a calming hand over his. Squeezing lightly, she said, "It's not a problem. You're doing it so I'll have something great to inherit one day, I know. And I'm proud of you, Dad."

Her father looked at Aiko with misty eyes. He grasped her hand in both of his tightly. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"Anytime, Daddy." Deep in her gut, though, Aiko felt the loneliness begin to swirl.

"I really am sorry I can't meet your friends, though. It'd be nice to know who's looking after my daughter at that school."

Aiko let out a dry laugh. "Don't worry, I'm sure Hikaru and Kaoru will understand."

Suddenly, Manabu's expression clouded over with skepticism. "Hikaru and Kaoru? Are those boy names...?

Aiko squeezed her dad's hands one last time before pulling them back. "Y-Yes. Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. They're twins."

"I see." When he crossed his arms over his great, barrel chest like that, Aiko could imagine what it would be like to work under such an imposing man; she felt great sympathy for the workers who disobeyed or failed her father. "Their mother, if I recall, works in fashion. I forget what their father does. I hope they understand that if they're not perfectly respectful gentlemen towards my princess, I'll have to _talk_ with them."

The way he said 'talk' made Aiko picture something a little more sinister than a sit down dinner.

She waved her hands in a calming manner, though a bit quickly. "Of course, Dad. Th-They're very nice once you get to know them. And with their help, I'm def-f-finitely going to get a good grade."

Manabu's shoulders relaxed a bit. He grunted. "Well, I guess I can allow that." Scooting his chair back, he stood and rubbed his slightly bulging belly. "But I might add some extra security while they're here, just in case."

"Dad, _please,_" Aiko cried in exasperation.

"Aiko, you don't know young men like I do. If they try anything-"

_"Dad!"_

Then he grinned, and Aiko knew he was teasing her again. As he chortled and ruffled her hair, Aiko grumbled. _He's too similar to Hikaru and Kaoru, always teasing me like that._

Her dad ducked down and placed a kiss on top of her head. "I'm going to change out of this stuffy suit, and then we can do something together. You could help me pack. You used to love doing that when you were little."

"I would just hide your ties and socks so you had to get on your hands and knees and look for them."

"Yes, but it kept me on my toes." He laughed at the memory. "You also tried sneaking into my bags when I wasn't looking. You were so tiny back then I'm sure I wouldn't have noticed if my pants hadn't started giggling."

Aiko blushed. "I was playing hide-and-seek." The truth was she'd only done that to try to go on the trips with her dad so she wouldn't be so lonely at home. That was before Kokoro died, of course.

Manabu smiled. Patting her head one last time, he walked out the dining room. "Oh," Aiko heard him say before his head popped back in the doorway, stern expression back in place. "But seriously, Aiko, you tell those Hitachiins to watch where they put their hands around my little girl-"

_"Dad!"_

* * *

END OF CHAPTER EIGHT

Ugh, the weeks go by too fast and I lose my motivation to write too quickly. I barely have chapter nine halfway through for you guys for next week-and I _hate_ being behind on this story. BUt, anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Lots of Manabu and Aiko interaction, yes! I really love writing scenes with her and her daddy, if you couldn't tell. More Aiko and twins interactions are coming up, trust me. *sneaky grin*

* * *

Review time!~

Let's start off with just the regular reviews w/o questions...

** .ravenclaw:** _I love your story and can't wait for your next update :)_

Thank you so much! I'm very glad you enjoy my story and I hope this chapter has met your expectations, sweetie!

* * *

**po1aris: **_This is the first OHSHC I've read and I must thank you for making it an excellent one. So far it is very well written and engaging. I hope to read more soon. ... I'm liking the introduction of the villan, Nijimi. She's a pill, but the drama is sure to be interesting. ... I'm still enjoying the story. The thing I like most about your writing is that I can easily picture what is going on in my mind. That's what I like most in a story, that I can close my eyes and picture the scene. I look forward to the next chapter._

You reviewed three separate times (that made my day, btw), so I just smushed them all together. I feel so honored to be your first OHSHC fic and I'm so glad you're enjoying the story so far! Oh, yes, Nijimi. I have a whole detailed list of the things she's gonna try and pull over Aiko in the coming chapters, just you wait, haha. And really? You really like how I write? Like I said before, it always seems too babble-ish to me, but if you enjoy it, it doesn't seem as bad! Thank you again for your lovely reviews!

* * *

**Kang Mina: **_(this isn't your full review okay sorry) I'm so torn between shipping Aiko and Hikaru and Aiko and Mori now though! They - Aiko and Mori - would be so cute together! I can't wait until your next update!_

_Pfffft_ someone noticed me dropping hints, thank you! When I made Aiko, I delved so deep you'd think she was a real person. All of her relationships with our precious Host Club members have been drawn out and nit-picked in a way that you'll get bored reading everything. But yes, I plan to make Aiko and Mori (and Honey) very _very_ close. Also her and the twins and Haruhi! So we'll see who wins out in the end. *evil cackles* You just wait to see what Hikaru's got waiting for him in the summer chapters hehe

* * *

_Questions for Aiko~~_

Now on to the big boys! Last week you guys found out that Aiko can play the piano and TWO other instruments. The hint was that they were both string instruments. Let's see who was right! Aikoo~~ 3

Aiko: Y-Yeah?

Mind telling our lovely reviewers what instruments you play? Pretty please?

Aiko: Um, sure, I guess. ... Well, m-my dad alw-w-ways enjoyed classical music, s-so he wanted me to learn as...many instruments as I wanted. M-Mom was already a pianist, so th-that was an easy one. But...I also chose th-th-the...harp and violin. Because they're both r-really beautiful sounding...especially the harp...

Thank you, dearie! So, everyone who guessed got the violin right! Yay! *firework noises* Good job to **Kang Mina**, **CathieeTerriea**, and **Gottaloveastory**. But the only one who guessed the harp was **Gottaloveastory** (even though you were just blurting out random instruments. Ps I looked up what a Ðân gáo was and you're right, it's a strange sound, but I liked them!). Also thank you all for your reviews! They meant a lot c:

* * *

And last but not least, the wonderful **SmolderingBlackRose **asked: Aiko, I was wondering, when's your birthday?

Aiko: Oh, it's-

_*smacks a hand over her mouth* _ShHHHHHHHH! That'll ruin the surprise of the story!

Aiko: But-

Hmmmm. Well, I'll give you a hint since you're such a dedicated reviewer (and I just want to talk about Aiko more hehe). Her birthday is _after_ Christmas but _before_ the New Year. SO somewhere in between December 25th and January 1st! *wink* Good luck cutie! (PS thank you for the encouraging review, you made me smile really wide and I blushed extra hard okay)

SO, that's it for this chapter! See you all next week! Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!


	9. The Trials of the Tutors!

A/N: I am _sooooo sorry_ this chapter is late! I knew it might take me longer to get this chapter up, but I _never_ expected it to be delayed by a freaking week! You guys must hate me so much T_T Again I apologize so, so, so, so, so much! I held the story up by a week and this chapter is still utter crap, but this is the _only_ draft I could be semi-satisfied with. I'll stop blathering now and let you guys read, okay?

_****edit note: horizontal line breaks added to review section on 10-14-14****_

_Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters, places, and events are _not_ mine. They all belong to the creator, the very wonderful and talented Bisco Hatori! This piece of fiction does not profit from anyone and I do not receive anything but happiness that my fic might be read by y'all._

* * *

NINE

The next morning saw Aiko waking up earlier than she normally would be due to her heightened nervousness. About four hours early to her usual nine o'clock.

She'd been wide awake when her dad had tip-toed into her room to place a goodbye kiss on her forehead before he left for his weekend business meetings. Aiko had made sure to pretend to be asleep until she couldn't hear her father's footsteps in the hallway. Then she'd thrown back the covers and made a mad dash for her closet.

Yumi was astonished to see Aiko up before eight in the morning on a Saturday, dashing about in her night clothing. There was clothing tossed on the edge of her bed, across the back of her desk chair, over her open dresser drawers; there were already two large piles of discarded tops and shorts near the closet doors.

"Miss Aiko!" the old maid had exclaimed, half-amused and half-chiding. "You should know better than to make such a mess—and with perfectly clean clothes, too!" Yumi wagged a finger in Aiko's direction. "If it wasn't for academic reasons, I'd say to cancel that date-"

"I-It's not a d-d-_date_," Aiko retorted from the bathroom. Her reflection in the mirror that Yumi could see was blushing a bright red. She busied herself with brushing her hair for the umpteenth time.

Sighing, Yumi bent down and started to pick up clothes from the floor. "This child just _loves_ to give me extra work," she grumbled under her breath.

By the time Aiko came out of the bathroom, the piles of clothes on the floor had been returned to her closet; those on her bed were folded and Yumi was busily putting them away into the drawers. Aiko tightened her robe around her frame anxiously. "I'm sorry, Yumi," she apologized, padding back over to her bed. "I w-w-was just trying to f-ind...something to w-wear...it was h-harder than I expected."

Yumi made a humming noise, still packing away the shorts. "I could tell," she replied bluntly.

Aiko sat down on her bed; her hands found their way to her hair and began to smooth out a chunk that fell over her shoulder. She looked down at the design in her duvet. The maid glanced over at her pitiful charge and sighed through her nose. "Young miss, I know you're nervous about having your classmates over, but working yourself up even more over your outfit isn't the answer."

The bed next to Aiko dipped as Yumi sat down with a groan. She felt a warm arm encircle her shoulders and rub her arm comfortingly.

"If these young men are coming over to help you study, then that means they must consider you a friend; or at least someone they like to spend time with. Do you think they'd really change their minds because of the clothes you wore?" Yumi gave a short chuckle. "Although, this _is_ probably the first time I've seen you this lively in a while. I'll have to thank them when they arrive for giving this old woman something to laugh at."

"Yumi!"

A louder chuckle sounded throughout the room. With a last squeeze, Yumi removed her arm and stood once more. Aiko looked up at her. "Just dress as if you were going to spend a day with your cousin. If you try too hard, it'll look forced in a bad way, Aiko-sama."

Aiko turned her gaze back down with a resigned sigh. "Okay..."

"Good." Yumi went back to her earlier task. "But for the love of God, please try to keep your hands _out of your hair_. Young ladies do _not_ wring themselves bald in front of guests."

"O-_kay_."

* * *

In the end, Aiko dawned her most comfortable pair of denim overall shorts and a plain blue-and-gray baseball tee—two items of clothing Aiko had an abundance of. And because of Yumi reminding her that her father was still wary of leaving her home with two boys (even with a horde of nosy servants), she also pulled on a pair of long socks. But she despite the maid fussing at her, Aiko kept her hair down instead of pulling it up.

That left Aiko with nothing to do but fret and worry herself until 10:30 rolled around.

_I've still got an hour and a half to kill_, she mused dishearteningly.

She sat at the counter in the kitchen, chin in her hand as she watched the cooks bustle around to prepare brunch. Aiko's leg jiggled up and down; her fingers drummed on the marble counter top; sighs came from her mouth at least three times per minute.

Eventually, the cooks got so fed up with her dismal attitude that they shooed her from the kitchen, and Aiko ended up face down on the couch in the main living room.

_This is the epitome of pitiful. I wouldn't be surprised if Hikaru and Kaoru tease me for being overly excited to see them. _Aiko groaned internally. _For God's sake, I spent _hours_ trying to find a single_ outfit_. Might as well stick a fork in me and get it over._

Although many would consider Aiko's internal monologue as being over-dramatic and vaguely Tamaki-like, the reasons behind her actions are perfectly natural considering her background. This would be the first time since her mother's death that Aiko would have people her own age—in her own class—in her house for _her_.

Over the years, to keep up the right appearances, Aiko's father had thrown a few intimate gatherings with his business partners and their families. Of course, Aiko always appeared and snuck a few snacks in, but she left to her room soon after. And when she was forced into a conversation with the kids of her father's business partners—well, they didn't last very long, to say the least.

All in all, anytime people came to visit the Nakamura estate, it was to see her _father_, not Aiko (except for her cousin, Kyoyko, but she was the exception).

_But they did come here to see me. _Aiko flipped on to her back, star-like, and stared at the ceiling. _Just me. _She grimaced. _Well, they _will_ be coming. If they even show up..._

Yumi found Aiko opening and closing her cell phone repeatedly just a few minutes later. She stared at the teenager for several seconds before shaking her head and muttering, "That child, I swear," under her breath.

And the closer it got to the arrival time, the worse Aiko seemed to get. She would pace around the room; flop herself down on the floor or couch; jump back up to make sure her clothes weren't rumpled; wring her hair until Yumi chided her; then repeat. But not necessarily in that order.

She stared at the screen of her phone the entire time, watching the minutes slowly tick by. When the clock read 10:29, Aiko was just about ready to scream in frustration—then she heard one of the servants call out. "Oh, I see a limo pulling up! That must be the young masters!"

Startled, Aiko rolled off the couch, dumping herself on the ground unceremoniously.

_"__What? Really?"_ she said in disbelief. Aiko checked her phone's clock: **10:30**.

Aiko scrambled up and made a dash for the door; she ran right past Hana, who was the one that usually greeted the guests at the door. Her hand closed over the door handle and she yanked it open—hopefully, not very noticeably.

Breathing heavier than usual, Aiko greeted the twins. "Hello..."

Hikaru and Kaoru looked down at Aiko, surprised expressions on their faces. "Oh, hey," the former said. "I thought it was usually a maid who opened the doors? I mean, you've got a big enough mansion to get one."

"Maybe she just couldn't wait to see our charming faces," Kaoru suggested, face splitting into a pleased grin.

His brother copied the look. "Oh, yeah, you're right."

Already, pink started infusing itself into Aiko's cheeks. Stepping back some, she opened the door wider. "Uh...please com-me in..." came her small voice.

"_Alright!_"

"Thanks!"

They walked past her with an enthusiasm that shocked her. _They can't be _that_ excited to come and tutor me_, Aiko thought to herself. She shut the door behind and returned to the foyer—only to stop mid step in disbelief. _You have _got _to be kidding me._

It seemed like every maid and butler and cook under the Nakamura name had appeared to greet the newcomers. And, much to Aiko's embarrassment, a high majority of the maids seemed to be swooning.

"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet the young miss' friends-"

"-had no idea you would be so _handsome_-"

"Please take care of our mistress!"

The twins soaked up all the attention like pros. "Don't worry about a thing; we'll get Aiko ready for that test in no time. Count on us!" They pumped a fist into the air for emphasis, winking at the gathered servants charmingly. Aiko counted nearly a dozen maids fainting (which she couldn't blame them for, exactly. Not only were the twins high-profile schmoozers, but they _looked_ good doing it too).

Thank God for Yumi; before Aiko could even call for the head maid, she was already there, shooing the others back to their duties. She then turned to the twins with a pleasant smile on her face and bowed. "Welcome to the Nakamura estate, young masters. I hope your ride here was pleasant?"

"It was fine," the twin on the right replied.

"But we're starving; we didn't eat breakfast at our house," the other explained.

"I see. Brunch is being served in the salon; if you'll follow me, please." Yumi led the twins away, leaving Aiko to follow behind quietly.

_They didn't eat breakfast_, she mused. _Which means they were looking forward to eating _here—_right?_

* * *

Once they were all seated at the small round table near the window, the other maids wheeled in a cart packed with food. "Please, pick anything you'd like."

Hikaru and Kaoru made noises of appreciation. "Looks good. Your cooks must be pretty high quality, Aiko."

"Ah...yeah, th-they are," she answered quickly. "Please, help yours-selves."

"Don't mind if we do!"

Both twins chose the Spanish omelet, with pecan scones and a plate of eggs Benedict on the side; a glass of juice and milk rested at each plate. Aiko took the stack of strawberry French toast for herself, along with a bowl of spiced oatmeal and sausage links. She had just orange juice.

Aiko waited until the twins took the first bite—letting out a small breath of relief when they said it was good—before eating herself. Waking up so early and then worrying herself had left her with quite the appetite; it wasn't long until she also called for a plate of eggs sunny-side up. The twins laughed.

"You're pretty greedy when you're home, aren't you?" Hikaru pointed his fork at her. "What if I had wanted those eggs?"

Immediately, Aiko flushed and started apologizing. "I'm sorry, Hik-karu...I didn't kn-know...should I h-h-have the cooks prepare-?"

Hikaru held his hands up for her to settle down. "Geez, I was just kidding. Calm down."

"S-Sorry..."

Kaoru cleared his throat. "Your house is pretty nice as far as I can see. Not as big as ours, but it's nicely decorated."

Aiko didn't know whether that was a dig or a compliment; she went with the latter. "Thank y-you. My f-f-father helped pers-sonally d-d-design it..."

"Really?" Aiko nodded. "Interesting."

"So, are you going to give us the grand tour after we're done eating? Or after we tutor you?" Hikaru questioned, looking around the room. "I think we'd have enough time to check it out before, don't you, Kaoru?"

His twin nodded; then both gave Aiko a smirk. "Would you show us _your_ room first, Aiko?"

She blinked. "Um...m-m-my room...?"

"Yep!"

"But why?"

Their smirks grew wider. "Because we want to see what kind of place you sleep in," they purred, amber eyes glinting with a strange light. Aiko gulped. "And besides, it would make more sense to tutor you in your room, right?"

"It's quiet," whispered Kaoru.

"And _intimate_," added Hikaru.

Heat flamed across Aiko's cheeks; her jaw lay open but no words came out. The twins gave her such intense looks that she didn't know how to form words, much less respond with any. Thank goodness Hana chose that moment to interrupt.

"Excuse me? Are you and guests finished with brunch, young miss?" the maid asked.

Quickly, Aiko nodded. Her mouth snapped shut as the twins snickered into their palms.

* * *

Once brunch was cleared, Aiko led the twins on a tour of her house. She brought them to the guest bedrooms, the kitchen, both salons, the many parlors, and the library to start. They "Ooh-ed" and "Ah-ed" with gusto, getting excited for her benefit, Aiko guessed. When they saw her gaming systems in the main living room, both attacked her games, exclaiming when they found one they particularly liked. Aiko found it amusing to see them act so childish.

"You have Mario Kart!" they yelled in sync. "And the steering wheels, too! Let's play it, let's play it!"

They bounded over and each took one of Aiko's hands, dragging her behind them. She stumbled from the sudden jerking and nearly fell on her face. Thankfully—or maybe, unfortunately—she fell against Hikaru, who'd been pulling harder than Kaoru. He caught her by the shoulders and steadied her. "Whoops. You okay?"

Red in the face, Aiko just nodded.

"Haha, you're all red," he teased her. A hand came up and pinched her cheek lightly. "Don't pass out on us yet; we haven't even discussed your method of payment for the tutoring."

Kaoru rested his arm on Hikaru's shoulder. "That's true. You don't have to come to the Host Club anymore, so we'll need to figure something out. Normally I'd say money, but that's kind of pointless considering how rich both of our families are." Both twins put a hand to their chins, stroking imaginary beards.

All of a sudden, it seemed like a light bulb went on over their heads. Both pairs of eyes cut over to a confused and less-flushed Aiko, who blinked. "What?" she asked.

"Have you got the newest Mario Kart, Aiko?"

Her brows furrowed. "Y-Yeah."

Grinning, they gave her a thumbs up. "Great! That'll be your payment!"

Their words seemed to go over her head. "What? I don't get it..."

"You simple, simple girl," Hikaru sighed, patting her head condenscendingly.

"Your payment will be to allow us to play your game when we come over here again." Kaoru gave her a close-lipped smile. "It wouldn't be easy to tutor you after playing today, so we'll just have to play next time we come over."

"'Kay?" they chimed together. Walking past Aiko, they made their way out the door, leaving her to her thoughts for a second.

Aiko stood staring at the space before her. "N-ext...time...?"

"Hey! Are you coming show us the house-?"

"-or are we going to have to find your room on our own?"

The idea of the twins alone in her room snapped Aiko out of it. Though her face was flushed when she rejoined them, there seemed to be a pep to her walk that hadn't been there before, and a certain twinkle in her eye.

* * *

She showed them the rest of the house, including her father's personal study, which was where he held interviews and standard home meetings when it was called for. Manabu had another, but that was his private study, where only the most important clients and partners were allowed—Aiko wasn't even given access to his private study. It was locked at all times.

And, despite her heavy embarrassment, Aiko _did_ in fact show them where her room was, but didn't go inside. When the twins complained, she stammered something about the time and led them back into the main parlor. There wouldn't be time to show them the guest houses and stables out back, so Aiko didn't mention them.

Their bags were already placed on the coffee table when they arrived. Aiko immediately got out her math work, but the twins lagged behind, drawn to something else.

"Hey," one of them called.

Aiko looked up. Kaoru, the one who'd spoken, was with his brother next to Kokoro's piano, looking it over. She felt her heart sinking low into her stomach at the sight.

Kaoru pointed at the piano. "Is this yours?"

"N-No..." Which was true, at least. Aiko would always consider that piano as her mother's. "Um...th-the math-?"

"Man," Hikaru spoke over her small voice. "If the boss were here, he'd be _begging_ you to play on this thing."

"Yeah," Kaoru agreed. A smile pulled at his features that looked softer than his others, Aiko noted. "He's such a music freak sometimes."

Hikaru nodded. Seeming to lose interest in the piano, they both returned to the couch and sat on either side of Aiko. As they pulled out their own math textbooks and supplies, the air around them seemed to shift from playful to a more serious mood. It amazed her that the twins could become so solemn so quickly.

"Okay," Kaoru started, turning to look at Aiko. "Why don't we start with the concepts you're more familiar with before jumping into the harder stuff? It'll make it easier on all of us to find out what problems you're having."

Aiko nodded, eyes wide and earnest. All she could think about was picking her grade up and not having to worry her father, or see Mr. Okanawa's disappointed expression again. She _would_ do it—with the twins' help, Aiko was sure of it.

"Good. Let's get started."

* * *

As it turned out, the twins were better at math than Aiko gave them credit for. She knew they were smart, but their intelligence was highlighted by the fact that they could _teach_ so well. Kaoru would explain the rules and theorems in simpler terms that Aiko could understand while Hikaru demonstrated how to choose the correct equation to solve a certain kind of problem. They started from the beginning of the semester that Aiko had missed, which was basic stuff—she didn't spend too much time on that part.

The farther on they went, however, the more time it took for Aiko to solve the problems. And it wasn't any fault on them. Kaoru gave her step-by-step instructions that made sense on paper and in her head; but when it came time to apply the methods to problems, there seemed to be some miscommunication between Aiko's brain and her hand holding the pencil.

Hikaru grew frustrated and would sometimes snap at her in the middle of a problem if she was using the wrong procedure. It got worse when they got to the imaginary numbers and complex equations—the things that had been on Aiko's failed test.

"That's not when you're supposed to put the equals sign, dummy," he barked at her.

Aiko withdrew her hand from the paper, confused. "But I th-thought you had-d to find the zeros on both sides-"

"Yes! But-"

"If you put in the equal sign _now_, you're going to end up with a root in the denominator, which is harder to simplify than just doing the correct procedure," Kaoru interrupted his brother before he could start shouting. He took his pencil and erased her mistake before jotting down the correction. "See? It took a shorter time than what you would have had to do."

She nodded, but she was frowning at the paper. It just didn't make sense to her how they solved it.

Hikaru sighed in frustration. "Maybe we should take a break?" he recommended.

Kaoru opened his mouth to respond when a knock came at the doors. All three teens turned their heads at the noise.

"Miss Aiko? A call for you from Miss Kyoyko," Yumi announced, bowing her head slightly. "She said it was important and couldn't wait."

To the twins' surprise, Aiko gave a resigned sigh and stood, almost looking reluctant. They shared a look like _'Well, _that's_ new.'_

"Excuse me," she murmured before following after the maid, out of the parlor.

It was silent for several heartbeats before Kaoru spoke up. "Who do you think that was?" he wondered aloud, twirling a pencil around his fingers absently.

"Dunno." Hikaru looked bored already, chin resting in his hand. His eyes stared off towards the wall, not seeing anything in the room. Kaoru watched his brother as the minutes ticked by. Finally, Hikaru stood abruptly and brushed his shirt off. "Alright, let's go."

"What?" Kaoru looked up at his brother, puzzled. "But we still have to finish with Aiko-"

Waving off his brother's words, Hikaru replied, "Not, like, _leave_. I meant, let's go sneak into Aiko's room. What else are we supposed to do now that she's left us alone?"

Slowly, realization dawned in Kaoru's eyes; a wide, Cheshire grin spread across his features as Hikaru smirked. "_True_."

It wasn't hard to remember the path to Aiko's room. Both twins had memorized the direction if a chance like this reared its head. Hikaru opened the door slowly—both stuck their heads through the crack to check for any maids or, God forbid, Aiko herself. Although they weren't worried about a scolding for getting caught in her room without permission, it was still a drag to know you _had_ been caught red-handed, so to speak.

Pushing the door wider, Hikaru stepped in with a low whistle. "Wow. Not too shabby."

Kaoru had to agree with his brother: it was a pretty nice room. Large and spacious with wooden floors, the walls a light peach color with hand-painted swirling stencils and the occasional gathering of flowers; he couldn't tell what kind they were, but guessed they were made to resemble tulips and roses.

The furniture was a gleaming mahogany set, complete with a desk off to the side and a queen-sized four-poster bed on a platform near the bay windows. The bookshelves along the walls were interesting: long pieces of tree branches laid horizontally along thicker stumps, then smaller, thinner pieces dispersed randomly among them to act as book stands. To Kaoru they looked like _real_ branches just cut from a tree outside. Photos were tacked to the wooden beams, but Kaoru couldn't make them out from so far away.

As his eyes scanned across the rest of room approvingly, Hikaru appeared from the walk-in closet, looking a bit miffed. Noticing his brother's expression, Kaoru arched a brow. "What is it?"

"Her closet looks like it could be a commoner's!" Hikaru exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Honestly, I could barely find any designer outfits in there! And the ones that I did see had been stuffed all the way in the back, like she doesn't even _want_ them. Can you believe that?"

Eyes betraying his amusement, Kaoru shrugged. "I could've guessed. You _have_ met Aiko, right? She's not exactly a diva as far as I could tell." He walked into the bathroom and started going through her cabinets and such in there.

Hikaru rolled his eyes. With a quiet huff, he strolled over to Aiko's desk, the only cluttered spot in the room that he could see. Probably because she wouldn't let the maids touch it and try to organize it, which he could empathize with. Sometimes his maid would organize something and it would take Hikaru _hours_ to find it again.

There wasn't much interesting on the desk itself. Some open books, old homework and test papers. His eyes caught sight of the math test that Aiko had failed-the reason he and Kaoru were called on for their tutoring services. Although he'd expected a bad grade, the severity of just _how_ low she'd scored caused him to wince. _Ouch._ That probably hadn't been a very nice talk with Mr. Okanawa.

He pushed the papers out the way and found a plain notebook at the bottom of the pile. It didn't look like anything—black cover and spiral-bound, no designs on the front or back—but when he opened it, Hikaru's mouth fell open with a soft _pop!_

As he walked out of the bathroom, Kaoru noted his brother's shell-shocked expression, and quickly joined him at the desk. "What is it now? Found her stash of manga?"

Hikaru shook his head but didn't answer. Instead, he tilted the notebook so Kaoru could look at it easily, but the reaction was different. "An architecture book?" he inquired. One eyebrow arched up. "So she's into buildings and stuff. What's so shocking about that?"

"It's not an architecture book, Kaoru." Hikaru flipped through the pages, his finger pointing at the signatures in the bottom right hand corner of each one. Kaoru's eye widened as he read the curling calligraphy: _Aiko Nakamura_.

_"__Whaaaat?"_

"I _know_, right?"

"But—But she can't do complex problems to save her _life_!" Kaoru exclaimed. His eyes scanned over the building designs on the paper; the incredible eye for detail on the extra finishings and outer designs; measurements surrounding each sketch perfectly to scale. Calculations and scribbled equations wound their way around some of the blank pages or on the backs of the sketches.

And as far as either twin could tell, they were _all correct_.

Hikaru and Kaoru stared at each other, wide-eyed. Aiko Nakamura had, even indirectly, managed to stun both twins into silence by this plot-twist.

"-tell them I'll be right back, Hana. I need to get m-m-my notebook from my room." Aiko's voice floated in through the open door, startling the twins. It was soft as ever, but was growning louder by the second.

Panicking, Hikaru slammed the notebook shut and thrust it into Kaoru's chest, hissing, "Hide it! Hide it!"

"I don't want it!" Kaoru pushed it back into Hikaru's hands. "_You're_ the one who found it! Put it back!"

"She's almost here!"

"Hikaru!"

It was like a backwards game of tug-of-war. The twins were so caught up in their back-and-forth that they didn't even notice when Aiko walked into the room. "Huh? I thought I'd had this door shut-?" Hazel irises locked onto the fighting twins and a very shocked, very high-pitched _"Eeep!"_ slipped through Aiko's lips, alerting the brothers to her presence.

They froze. Sheepish smiles spread across their faces. _Dammit!_

Hikaru (who had the book pushed into his chest at the moment) chuckled nervously. "Eheh—_hey_, Aiko...uh, what brings you here...?"

Aiko blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the situation. "Y-You two...but how did you f-f-find...I was just...n-not locked...?" She babbled on with no clear reasoning behind it; her face grew steadily redder the more she spoke. She didn't seem to notice the book still in the twins' possession.

"We can explain-" Kaoru tried to interrupt. He let go of the book to put his hands in a calming gesture—but Hikaru didn't have a grip on the spiral-bound notebook, causing it to slip from his hands and fall to floor with a solid _bam! _Both twins cringed as Aiko's eyes cut to it, before widening in horror.

"M-M-M-My bookk...?" Aiko spoke so quietly that Hikaru and Kaoru had to strain to hear it.

Bending down, Hikaru picked up the notebook with a guilty expression; Kaoru rubbed the back of his neck, equally guilty. "Sorry," Kaoru apologized as Hikaru passed it over to Aiko. "We got bored...and kind of wound up sneaking into your room...on accident..."

"But we didn't go through your drawers or anything-"

"-just your closet. And your bathroom."

"And obviously, your desk."

Aiko seemed not hear their excuses, as she was staring down at the book in her hands with a shadowed expression. The twins kept babbling on to try to fill the silence, unsure of how to take Aiko's current mood. They'd assumed she'd be mad, or at least _somewhat_ flustered, but instead she seemed...ashamed?

"...did you s-s-see it?"

Hikaru glanced at Kaoru, who shrugged. "Uh...see _what_, specifically?"

The girl walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge, leaving the twins to stare at her in confusion. "...m-m-my designs...you saw them, didn't you?" Aiko looked up from her hands to the twins, chewing on her bottom lip.

Scratching the back of his head, Hikaru made soft grunt in the back of his throat. "Um...yeah, we did."

"Sorry. Again," Kaoru apologized. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "But...if you don't mind us asking-"

"-why a notebook filled with buildings?"

Aiko looked away, hugging her book to her chest protectively. There was a pregnant pause before she spoke.

"I...I don't w-ant to...suceed my fath-th-ther..."

Hikaru and Kaoru blinked, thoroughly confused with the way the conversation turned. They tilted their heads, brows furrowed. _"Huh?"_

She seemed to shrink at their words—if that was even possible. "I'm his o-only heir...so I don't have a choice. But his company is s-s-_so_ large...I'd never be able to...run it like he can..."

"So you don't want to take over the company. I got that part—but the buildings I stil don't get," Hikaru intoned. He sat on the desk chair, crossing his hands behind his head, while Kaoru leaned against the wall, hands behind his back. "What does architecture have to do with your dad's company?"

"Th-the managment of the business...is-sn't the part I want..." Aiko fidgeted on her bed, still not meeting Hikaru's eyes. "I...I like...designing."

And quite suddenly, it all clicked for Kaoru. "You want to take over the department that creates and constructs the buildings," he reasoned. "Not do what your dad does and oversee the entire corporation."

Hikaru glanced at his brother. How'd he come up with _that_? But—now that he thought about it, that seemed like the best explanation. Aiko was to quiet and lacked the confidence to lead an entire corporation as the CEO; but put her in charge of a small section of her choice, and it just might work out.

He looked at Aiko—who was still fidgeting and staring fixedly at the ground—and furrowed his brow. But even a small part of such a large company seemed like it'd be too much for the girl. Nothing about her screamed "leader" in any shape or form.

"Easy prey" seemed like a better option.

But to Hikaru's surprise, Aiko nodded slowly and whispered, "Y-Yes..."

"Well, you've certainly got the vision for an architect."

Aiko looked up, shocked. Had she heard Hikaru correctly? He leaned back in the chair, rocking on the back legs. "Don't look all surprised like that. You've got to realize your designs look like they were done by a professional, right?"

"That's true," Kaoru agreed, nodding. "I thought it was an actual architectural book when I glanced at it."

Bringing the chair back onto all four legs, Hikaru leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "But you _do_ realize that architects aren't all just about the designing, right? There's lots of measuring and scaling and mathematics involved-"

"-and you're failing high school math." Kaoru shook his head in disbelief. "That doesn't make any sense, Aiko."

The gaping expression Aiko wore filtered into her usual embarrassed flush. "I know th-th-that."

The twins gave her a dead-panned look. "Then _why_?"

"Because it's eas-sier...to me..."

"That makes no sense."

Her blush intensified. "High school has...lots of extra...unneces-s-sary stuff..." she explained. "Architecture...doesn't use imaginary n-umbers..."

Hikaru and Kaoru went silent, expressions blank. Aiko swallowed the lump in her throat. She'd never told _anyone_ about her notebook, or how she disliked having to inherit her father's entire corporation. It was something she knew others would scold her for, being selfish like that. That's what she was waiting for Hikaru and Kaoru to say.

Instead, what she got was the two of them holding back laughter. Kaoru puffed up his cheeks; Hikaru clapped a hand over his mouth as his shoulders shook with supressed giggles. Aiko blinked in confusion. "Wh-What-?

Snickering behind his palm, Hikaru managed to get out, "And...people call..._us_ twisted..._phahaha_!"

* * *

END OF CHAPTER NINE

-_- Hikaru's so mean sometimes, I can't deal with it.

But, yes, another (crappy) chapter has come to an end! Once again I apologize _profusely_ for keeping y'all waiting for a _week_ just for this lame, half-filler chapter. I'm such a disappointment at times, it's not even funny. But the whole problem was, _How Do I Keep The Twins In Character When They Are Such Complex Characters And I Am Bad At Snarky And Sarcastic And Witty Dialogue?_ The struggle was _real_, I tell you! Hopefully I didn't bore y'all with this.

* * *

_Review Time~_

**Gottaloveastory: **_I WASN'T BLURTING OUT RANDOM INSTRUMENTS!...?… -_-  
Each of these instruments are played in my family. I do the violin, and my cousins and auntsdo the rest. The Dan Gao is part of my heritge…? And that wasa joke, because said instrument is Vietnamese._

Why... Is... Your... OC o cute!? (Right now I'm inwardly squealing at her cute level.) Ahem. So, in simple words...  
UPDAAAAAAAAATTTTTEEE

Aiko: *blushes* Th-Th-Thank you...but I'm n-n-not...cute...

Jaja, I'm sorry if I offended you .-. Jokes are just really hard to get over the internet sometimes, y'know? I think that's cool, though, how your family is so musically inclined, it sounds cool! Also, thanks for your compliment of Aiko~

* * *

**ladyliberty7476: **_I love your story so much! I love everything about Aiko. Her relationships and interactions with all of the hosts are great, and I can't wait to see how you make them grow! Usually, when OHSHC OCs refuse to go see the Host club, they tend to be too mean and rude in their refusal, the same with their interactions. I love Aiko because she acknowledges her own faults, isn't completely random in the way she acts around the other characters, and is really quite sweet, not like a typical OHSHC OC. I admire Aiko and I admire you, for the way you write and how you treat us readers! Keep on writing because I can't wait for the next update! Sorry for the long review._

This review in particular made me smile so much I squealed. No lie xD Thank you, thank you, thank you SO much for this review! This is _exactly_ how I wanted Aiko to be perceived as, not like the regular OCs written in OHSHC. Not to say that those are _bad_ OCs or that their authors were wrong to write them like that, but I felt like the OCs in most fics were mostly centered around snarky, slightly awkward, moody characters, and the incredibly shy, timid ones were more secondary OCs.

It's also sweet of you to admire either of us because I'm honestly touched by that! My writing is hardly the best it could be and I just gave you a rather crappy chapter on top of that, so I hope I didn't disappoint!

* * *

**SmolderingBlackRose: **_Oh, so her birthday has something to do with the plot? I'll have to remember that... Oh man, those girls seemed jealous. Silly little tea drinkers, I'll assume that they'll be trouble. Ah, I love this so much. I can't get enough of it...Aiko's an amazing OC_

SBR, you are a saint for being such a loyal reviewer to this story c:

But yes, Aiko's birthday _is_ kind of important to the plot. Well...I guess you could say it's to serve more as a _surprise _for the Host Club (excluding Kyoya because you know he already knows everything about Aiko xD) than to actually further the plot. Yeah, that's closer to the explanation I wanted to give.

Ah, Nijimi and her band of tea drinkers. They will serve their purpose as jealous antagonists to our precious Aiko. Thanks for your review, darlin!

* * *

Aiko: Are there any questions for m-m-me?

Aaaw, what's this? Aiko's actually _interested_ in answering questions?

Aiko: *blushes* Um...n-no, I just...

Haha, I'm teasing! *pinches cheeks* But yes, you have two questions from our lovely reviewers!

From **SBR:** _Also, another question for Aiko (I'm going to try to ask one every time, if that's okay with you) What's your favorite season?_

Aiko: Season? Uh...well...I enjoy...the f-f-fall...I guess

Don't guess, silly. Is it, or isn't it?

Aiko: ...y-y-yes.

Fantastic! Any particular reason why?

Aiko: *hurridely shakes head* N-N-No! None at a-all!

*scratches chin* Hmmm. Very defensive. I'll get it out of you soon enough, dear. But to **SBR**, you ask all the questions you want! I love hearing them and Aiko (though she won't admit it) loves to answer them! Thanks for the question!

* * *

**ladyliberty7476: **_Also, what is Aiko's favorite subject (because it obviously isn't math)?_

Haha no, math is at the very bottom of that list :3

Aiko: I like...history the best.

Wow, me too! Well, after English, but history is my close favorite!

Aiko: ...th-the building designs...are interesting...

Of course that's the part _you'd_ enjoy, Aiko. How cute is she?

* * *

Okay, now I have a question for _**you**_, my lovely reviewers: What's _your_ favorite subject? It can have an explanation or not, but I'd love to know something about y'all! Makes me feel closer to the readers, if that makes sense.

So, that's it for this Author's Note! I hope to see y'all next week-if not, I apologize in advance! Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!


	10. Operation Bully Blockers!

A/N: I've procrastinated this chapter so much, y'all, it's not even a joke anymore. I'm so sorry I've been late! My plan was to upload a chapter every Sunday, and so far I've missed four, and this chapter is being posted on a freaking Thursday! Oh, the horror T~T I hope you can find it in your precious hearts to forgive my laziness. This chapter's kind of short, but I feel like I did a better job with it than the last one. Much more drama! And also Host Club antics just make any chapter better, haha. Enjoy!

_****edit note: horizontal line breaks added to review section on 10-14-14****_

_Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters, places, and events are _not_ mine. They all belong to the creator, the very wonderful and talented Bisco Hatori! This piece of fiction does not profit from anyone and I do not receive anything but happiness that my fic might be read by y'all._

* * *

TEN

"Thank you both. Again," Aiko repeated for about the sixth time as she led Hikaru and Kaoru out the front door. The setting sun revealed the many hours that had passed since the twins showed up; she still felt the dazed disbelief that time had flown by so quickly. It felt as though they'd _just_ gotten started on tackling the issues with her inability to solve high school math.

The golden streaks left in the sky were slowly but decidedly dying, giving way to the wispy purple of approaching twilight.

Hikaru gave a bit of a huff as he turned to Aiko. "We got it already. There's no reason to keep repeating yourself."

The pink infusing her cheeks was nicely hidden in the light of the setting sun. "But...I _want_ to th-th-thank you." If it wasn't for the twins, Aiko wouldn't have been able to finish her worksheets, or the extra math packets Mr. Okanawa had let her have, _or_ begun to finally understand what it was she was learning.

After they'd come back down from her room – with Hikaru and Kaoru still snickering into their palms – Aiko had readied herself to deal with another session of confusing theorems and frustrating numbers, both real and unreal. However, that hadn't been the case. The twins had a brief meeting in the hallway before rejoining her in the parlor, their faces once again set into determined and somber expressions. She'd gulped and fidgeted in her spot as they sat down.

_I'm going to get scolded again_, she'd fretted. At the time, their silence was worrying and caused Aiko's mouth to go dry. _Because I still haven't gotten these concepts. Hikaru's going to get frustrated and snap at me._

Instead, what she got were a blank sheet of paper, her calculator, and her pencil. Kaoru instructed her to just write down the key components of the problems he called out: the _x_, the _y_, the constant, and other such items needed to solve the parabola. Aiko did as she was told – then he told her to take the components into a type of architectural design of her choosing.

She'd blinked and looked up in confusion, but his face had been dead serious. Hikaru's own expression mirrored it.

Aiko kept her mouth closed and, despite the belief that this wouldn't make anymore sense than her previous attempts, concentrated on the task beforehand, and put her pencil to the paper. Within just a few minutes, she'd given each component of the math problem a place in her design of an archway and found the zero points, the place of axis, and variations of the inputs and outputs. She'd stared down at her handwriting in shock.

The surprises didn't end there. For every problem that she'd missed or hadn't finished, the twins made her do the same thing: write down key components, fit them into a design on paper, then solve. It came so easily to Aiko that she was speechless.

Of course, there was still plenty that Aiko didn't understand, and putting the imaginary numbers into a structural design was as difficult as it sounded, but they'd obviously made a breakthrough. And Aiko knew that without their help, she would have continued to fail the problems. The amount of gratefulness she felt far exceeded her abilty to express it.

Kaoru's voice knocked the thoughts from Aiko's head. "Like we said before, you're turning this into a bigger deal than it is."

"Yeah," his brother agreed. "It's just tutoring you in math-"

"-we would have done the same for any of our friends."

_Friends._

Just the word itself made Aiko's nerves tingle, caused the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end in excitement. She turned her head towards the ground to hide her reaction as they walked down the long drive; the twins' limo sat at the end, driver ready at the door.

Before they climbed into the backseat, Hikaru and Kaoru turned around to give Aiko one last grin and a wave. "Just remember, next time we come over, make sure you have that game set up for after we get finished studying, okay?"

Aiko nodded, her mouth curling into a small smile. "Okay." She lifted her hand and waved in return.

When the limo was no longer in sight, Aiko returned to the house, that tiny smile still in place. It was joined by a red flush when she noticed Yumi and Hana giving her knowing looks.

* * *

The next night, just as Aiko sat down at the cook's counter to have her dinner, the sound of the front door opening and closing alerted her to the return of her Manabu. She turned around expectantly, and only seconds later was greeted with the familiar smile of her father, albeit a rather tired version.

"Welcome home, dad." She hopped down form the chair to properly greet him

"Thank you, sweetheart," he said, moving to place a warm arm around Aiko's shoulders. He gave a quick side squeeze, dropping a kiss to her forehead before letting go. "Looks like I just made it in time for dinner. What're we having?"

"Salmon teriyaki, udon noddles..." Aiko recited, feeling her joy bubble up in her stomach. This would be the first time in many months that she and Manabu had a proper, sit-down dinner together. They used to have them every night that was available to them – before Kokoro passed away.

Manabu grunted his approval. "Good, good. Let your old man go get out of this uncomfortable suit and then I'll meet you at the table, okay?"

She nodded. And by the time her father was halfway up the stairs, Aiko sat waiting at the end of the table, food set out for the both of them with the help of Hana. Her hands lay in her lap, twiddling idly.

"So," Manabu said as he sat down across from his daughter, now dressed in more comfortable clothing. He paused to throw a casual smile her way. "How did the study session go? Yumi says you looked pretty satisfied afterwards, so I hope that's a good sign."

Though she blushed at the mention of Yumi's description, Aiko nodded. They bowed their heads and murmured, "Itadakimasu," before picking up their chopsticks and digging in. "They helped me unders-tand what I kept...missing. It was good..."

He chuckled slightly. "Good, good." Manabu's expression then switched from content to skeptical in an instant. "And they didn't try to pull anything with my little girl, did they?"

_"F-F-Father!" _

"It's a valid concern, Aiko! You're a cute girl and they're young men who should obviously be able to see that."

Aiko just gave him a pleading look, face hot. She busied herself with her noodles as Manabu gave a brief laugh. _He's so_ mean_! _Aiko thought to herself.

_But_...

She looked up from under her lashes at her father. The grin on his face was wide, making him look about twenty years younger; his dark eyes were bright with mirth. Manabu looked more relaxed and happy in that moment than Aiko could care to count on her fingers. A tender smile touched Aiko's lips as she looked back to her own meal.

_...this is nice._

* * *

"...she had them over this weekend-"

"-father was on a business trip."

"Who _does_ she think she is?"

"-having the twins all to herself, I bet it was amazing!"

The whispers following Aiko around on Monday were cryptic and only spoken when she seemed out of earshot. But she heard them – though she wished fervently they were speaking about something other than what she assumed.

_I didn't tell anyone about the tutoring session, though_, she reminded herself. Aiko clutched her bag closer to her chest as she made her way to class, like a protective shield from the looks thrown her way. _And Hikaru and Kaoru didn't say they were telling anyone but the other hosts...and they don't seem like the type to gossip._

But no matter how much she tried to reassure herself, that bit of nagging doubt left Aiko's stomach in knots.

She didn't mention any of this to Hikaru and Kaoru, of course. They might get angry at her for assuming they would gossip about her – or worse, they'd laugh in her face and admit to it. And Aiko didn't think she'd be able to deal with either situation. So she stayed quiet and pretended that everything was fine.

Then the chimes rang for lunch and she made her way to her locker to grab her bento box. The hallway was empty except for her, which should've alerted her to the footsteps coming her way the moment they turned the corner. Unfortunately, Aiko was too preoccupied with her anxious thoughts to notice the group of girls swarming around her until she heard a familiar cold voice behind her.

"Seems like you're the talk of the school again, Nakamura."

Aiko spun around, startled, her back slamming against the metal lockers. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight before her.

Nijimi stood with her hands clasped in front of her skirt, poised as ever with her head held high. Her face didn't show any sign of contempt or disgust; that only made the icy stare that much more menacing. Aiko glanced at the other girls surrounding her, some not as composed as their leader and openly glaring her down.

Looking back at Nijimi, Aiko gulped. She was trapped.

They were waiting for her to speak. Aiko opened her mouth, but nothing more than a tiny squeak escaped. She immediately shut it again as the other girls began to giggle; a heated flush began to creep up her neck, spreading across her face rapidly.

A chilling sneer played on Nijimi's features. "Speechless, are we? That's okay, you don't need to speak – as long as you listen _very_ closely, Nakamua." She leaned forward, putting her face just inches from Aiko's. "We're on to _you_ and your _angle_ to get in close with the Host Club, despite your less than stellar social standing here at Ouran."

Aiko blinked – the confusion she felt must have shown on her features, for Nijimi's neutral expression turned into mild irritation.

"Don't give me that dumbfounded look, Nakamura. You know _exactly _what I'm talking about. Ever since you showed up at this school, you've put on your most pitiful face and batted those goo-goo eyes towards everyone who'd give you a single glance. Unfortunately for _you_, the ones who seem drawn to a good charity case are _our_ host club members." Taking a moment to regain her composure, as it had begun slipping, Nijimi leveled a superior look towards Aiko. "Did you think we wouldn't have to step in eventually?"

"First, you managed to get Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai to fall for your little ploy," she stated, ticking off her fingers as she spoke. "Then Haruhi and the twins were being led astray. At first, I wasn't worried too much about them – you're new. A shiny toy dangled in front of two bored dogs; I suppose it was only natural they seemed to take an interest in you."

Her hand closed into a fist, and Nijimi's smooth voice turned strained, as if she were holding back the agitation she was slowly losing control over. Aiko eyed her fist nervously. "_But. _I learn on Friday that you managed to snag them into visiting your house, something that is unheard of for any other Ouran student." Her cohorts began to mutter among themselves irritably. "And that's when I knew I had to step in; to put _you_ in your proper place."

She delivered the words with a kind of tone that suggested Nijimi was willing to follow through on that promise, no matter what It took.

She breathed deeply, dropping her hand back into its place in front of her. The atmosphere around Nijimi went from electric to a more subdued, but no less menacing current. Aiko preferred the former. "I gave you your first and only warning in our previous encounter, Nakamura. This is the last intervention for you to try one last time to right the wrongs you've committed – or face the consequences."

A little quirk of the corner of her mouth created a slight sneer. "Next time, I _won't_ be so forgiving."

And on some unknown signal, she turned and began to walk down the hallway, her cohorts giving Aiko one last solid glare before following like little ducklings. They turned down the corridor, and Aiko was once again alone, left to try and keep a steady flow of oxygen to her lungs.

* * *

It took a long time before Aiko was able to force her still-trembling legs to take her outside and to her lunch spot. By the time she made it, the lunch period was halfway over, Honey and Mori were already there, and looked relieved to see her face when she finally showed up.

"Aiko-chan!" Honey exclaimed when he saw her, jumping up. Flowers popped up around his head in his excited state. "Where've you been? Takashi and I were starting to get worried when you were late-" The flowers disappeared with a small _pop_ as Honey noticed Aiko's expression. "What's wrong, Aiko-chan? You look upset."

Mori nodded, looking at Aiko as well. She managed to raise her eyes from the ground and force a smile into place. "...s-s-sorry for m-making you w-wait, Honey-senpai, M-M-Mori-senpai...it took longer th-than I...expected..." Aiko bowed her head.

The two hosts shared a look as their junior took her seat on the grass and pulled out her bento. Aiko looked more troubled than she knew—her eyes were red and the smile she gave was less than convincing. Honey looked down at his Usa-chan, deep in thought.

"Hey...Aiko-chan."

Aiko looked up at Honey. "Y-Yes?"

Honey opened his mouth to say speak, but then seemed to think better of it. His serious expression turned into a large grin, followed by a giggle. "Nothing. Do you want some cake? I've got carrot cake today, Usa-chan's favorite!"

He filled the rest of the lunch period with his usual chatter, seeming not to notice Aiko's lack of response and her less-than-pleased expression. But Mori knew his cousin better than that. The stoic senior gaze cooly at the two of them, knowing that Honey was just forcing himself to stay cheerful for Aiko's sake when deep down, he was worried for her.

Mori took a bite from his own lunch thoughtfully. Something happened to Aiko that she didn't want to speak about, and neither host was going to push the issue if she wasn't ready to voice it.

As the lunch period came to an end, Honey and Mori waved as Aiko walked back into the building. When she was no longer in sight, Honey turned to his cousin with a worried look. "We have to talk to Tama-chan about Aiko-chan."

"...yeah."

* * *

Aiko's sullen and troubled expression didn't only alert Mori and Honey to her silent plight. Haruhi and even the twins noticed her severe lack of energy to even muster a smile when they greeted her in class after lunch.

The three hosts shared confused looks before Haruhi turned back to Aiko with vague concern. "Hey, is everything alright, Aiko? Did something happen at lunch?"

The girl glanced up at Haruhi, then across the classroom towards the front of the classroom, but they fell just as quickly—too fast for Haruhi to follow her line of sight. The tense expression she wore caused more than a couple of bells to go off in Haruhi's mind.

"No..." Aiko murmured. Behind her, the twins pulled bland faces at the obvious lie. "...everything's fine...Haruhi..."

Shooting her a dubious look, Haruhi glanced back up to the front of the classroom. A group of girls that frequented the Host Club sat clustered in the desks, talking quietly among themselves. In the middle of it all was Nijimi Akihito, a regular of the twins'. Though she wasn't exactly the warmest person, Haruhi didn't think she was an openly cruel person as far as Haruhi knew.

But seeing the fretful looks Aiko kept throwing Nijimi's way, she was pretty sure that wasn't the entire story.

Haruhi turned back to the one-sided conversation the twins were trying to have with Aiko about their tutoring session. She hadn't even known they'd gone over to Aiko's house, which was a surprise in itself. "You guys didn't tell me you started tutoring her," Haruhi pointed out. It wasn't out of hurt of being left out of the group, but of open curiosity.

Kaoru flashed her a smirk. "That's right. Jealous, Haruhi?"

She blinked. "Huh?"

"Yeah," Hikaru agreed, putting a hand on the back of Aiko's chair. "_She_ didn't mind us coming over to visit—or, tutor. And next time we go, we're gonna play her Wii and have a Mario Kart tournament."

Haruhi arched an eyebrow. "Don't you guys have that game at your house?"

"Yeah-"

"-but it's lots more fun to have high scores on someone else's game!"

The exasperated sigh she released was the end of the conversation, as the bell signaled the beginning of class. Haruhi cast another glance Aiko's way before going to her own table for the lesson.

* * *

Aiko didn't speak more than four words at a time for the rest of the day, no matter how much Haruhi prodded or the twins probed. She remained tight-lipped and fidgety all the way up until the bell rang for the end of the day, and she was the first one out of the classroom without bothering to say goodbye to them.

It was with more than a bit of concern that Haruhi walked with the twins to the club that afternoon.

"Hey, guys," Haruhi spoke up as they trekked to Music Room #3. "Did Aiko seem a little...I don't know, _anxious_ to you?"

Hikaru and Kaoru looked down at their cross-dressing friend, then back to each other, brows furrowed. "Well, kinda," the former admitted, putting a hand behind his head. "I mean, she's always jumpy and stuff, but today-"

"-it kinda felt like she was regressing," Kaoru agreed.

"That's what I'm worried about." Haruhi sighed. Brown eyes travelled up to the ceiling as if the answer had been conveniently placed up there. "It's just kind of weird, you know? It seemed like she was getting better around us—and Honey-senpai said they'd sorted out their situation, so I don't think it's that."

Kaoru held up a finger. "But you just pointed out that Honey-senpai and Aiko are okay now, and it's obvious they get along well. Even Mori-senpai. They all sit together at lunch—maybe Aiko told them her problem then?"

Haruhi nodded thoughtfully; Hikaru, however, made a disgruntled face. "But why would she only tell Honey-senpai? We're all her friends—or whatever she considers us."

"She's probably still not completely comfortable around us yet, Hikaru," Haruhi reminded him. "Just because she let you guys tutor her doesn't mean she's okay just revealing her troubles to us. _But_," she added, once Hikaru opened his mouth to retort, "we can just ask Honey-senpai in the clubroom."

The confrontational twin huffed, but didn't argue. They continued their walk in silence, reaching the music room in a few minutes. Haruhi opened the door and the twins followed her in, calling out a greeting. "Hey, we're-"

"-and she hardly ate any of her lunch and wasn't paying attention to _anything_ around her," Honey was saying to Tamaki and Kyoya. The two second years were sitting down at one of the tables while their blonde senior and his ever silent companion stood across from them. "I didn't ask her about what was bothering her, though, because she didn't seem like she wanted to tell us about it."

Haruhi blinked in surprise. "Honey-senpai, are you talking about Aiko?" she questioned.

In his ever usual greeting, Tamaki bounded over to Haruhi, hugging her to his side. "Oh, my sweetest daughter, I'm so glad you made it here safely. Daddy was worried since you were all alone with those two perverted devil twins-"

_"Hey, we're not the perverts here!" _said twins argued back.

"Tamaki-senpai...get _off_," Haruhi grunted as she squirmed out of her senior's grip. The violet eyes of the Host King turned teary at the rebuff.

Honey, who'd bounded over as well, took the lapse in conversation to speak. "That's right, Haru-chan. Aiko-chan was acting strangely at lunch today. Like there was something bothering her."

"Funny you should mention that," Kaoru intoned from the couch where he and his brother were lounging. It wasn't a cosplay day, so they had some time before the guests arrived.

"Yeah, we were hoping you had an answer to why she was so anxious _after_ lunch, Honey-senpai," Hikaru added. His slim chin rested in his hand as he looked to his blonde senior. "You're saying she didn't say anything to you or Mori-senpai, either?"

Honey looked discouraged. "No."

Tamaki, who'd already rebounded from the scene with Haruhi, held his chin thoughtfully. "So she was upset even after lunch. Haruhi, you and the twins have almost every class with her, don't you?" The first year trio nodded. "Was she acting like this before lunch?"

For a moment, all was silent as the three first years thought back. Haruhi spoke up first. "I guess...she was a lot more fidgety than normal, but there didn't seem like there was anything obviously worrying her. It was only after lunch ended that it seemed like she was upset..."

"Yeah," the twins chimed in. "At first we thought she was just being awkward after our tutoring session yesterday."

"Well, did anything happen at her house that would make her upset?" Honey asked, leaning over the back of the couch to hear.

Kaoru and Hikaru shared a look before shaking their heads. "Nothing like that."

Honey's eyebrows furrowed, and he turned to look up at Mori. "Then it must have been something that happened _before_ lunch."

"But we don't know what it was," the twins said.

The reminder sent everyone into a tense silence. They were stumped. Only the clacking of Kyoya's laptop keys made a sound. Suddenly, Mori looked sharply in the vice-president's directions, deep voice permeating the air:

"Bullies."

Everyone besides Mori, Haruhi, and Kyoya gasped in an over-dramatic, horrified manner. "A _bully_?"

The tomboy looked over to the glasses character; she and Mori had come to the same conclusion only seconds between. "That's right, isn't it, Kyoya-senpai? Someone's been bullying Aiko, haven't they?"

Kyoya adjusted his glasses along the bridge of his nose, leaning back slightly to address everyone. "That's right, Haruhi. It seems that this is only the second face-to-face confrontation between Aiko and her bully, she's been under intimidation almost from day one."

Honey, Tamaki, and the twins all rushed to gather around Kyoya's table. "You mean you knew about this, Kyoya?" the king demanded in confusion. "If you knew, why didn't you tell us? We could've prevented it somehow!"

"I'm afraid my information was nothing but a single anonymous tip and a few complaint reports from Aiko's old boarding school. I couldn't point fingers until I had concrete evidence that their was bullying going on." Kyoya turned back to his laptop, the glare from his glasses flashing. "I did know this was a possibility, though I'd hoped it wouldn't come to pass."

"Poor, Aiko-chan," Honey whimpered pitifully, eyes magnified through his tears. "No wonder she was so upset; but why would someone want to bully such a sweet person?"

The twins leaned over the back of Kyoya's chair. "Who is it, anyway? One of those Yakuza?"

"Doubtful," Kyoya dead-panned. "Actually, it's one of _your_ classmates—Hikaru, Kaoru, you ought to be pretty familiar with this young lady. She is, after all, one of your regular visitors."

All eyes cut to the twins, who stood with befuddled expressions. _"Who?"_

"A one Miss Akihito Nijimi."

Haruhi almost choked. "_Her_? The girl who's president of the _tea club_?"

"Don't underestimate her, Haruhi," Tamaki spoke up. His expression was hidden by his bangs, but the way he spoke was low with warning. "She's part of the same club as Ayanakoji; and we all know just how awful things can get with people like her."

Haruhi scowled. She definitely didn't like the sound of that; and it was all the more reason to do something to stop it before something really bad happened to Aiko. "We've already dealt with Ayanakoji-san. As long as we keep Aiko from running into Nijimi-san, that should keep the bullying from happening, right?"

"Yeah!" the twins cheered, throwing their hands up in excitement. "A mission!"

"I like your thinking, Haru-chan!" Honey said in excitement. "We'll be able to protect Aiko-chan from that meanie!"

"I hate to burst your bubbles," Kyoya spoke up, sounding like it would be his greatest pleasure to burst some bubbles with a sharp needle. "But must I remind you that Aiko still doesn't know that we all know about the bullying? And it seemed like she wasn't planning on telling any of us of it herself."

Several grins deflated at that. "Oh, yeah."

Haruhi thought for a moment before turning to the Lolita boy. "Honey-senpai, you should have Aiko's number, right?"

"No," he admitted, petting his Usa-chan. "I didn't ask for it."

The twins popped up behind Haurhi with twisted smirks. "Oh, really, Honey-senpai? What a shame-"

"-yes, such a shame-"

"-if only you knew someone who had her number. Then you could just borrow it-"

"-or talk precariously through those people."

_"Oh, well_."

Haruhi's brow twitched in irritation. "If you guys have her number, you could've just said so instead of trying to sound all sadistic like that."

"You're no fun."

"But that works out fine, doesn't it?" Tamaki asked. A confident grin spread over his lips. "All we have to do is have the twins text Aiko-hime to meet us all here tomorrow-"

A fist connected with the top of Tamaki's head. He cried out in shock and pain, crumpling to the ground. The others stood over him while Haruhi lowered her fist. "That's not going to work, senpai. Aiko isn't likely to admit something like that in front of a group of people she hardly knows."

Tear fell in two long waterfalls down Tamaki's cheeks as the top of his head throbbed; Honey and Mori watched on as the twins poked the twitching lump, snickering. "And you had to hit me to tell me that?"

"Haru-chan is right, Tama-chan," Honey said, standing up. "It's better if Aiko-chan doesn't feel pressured into admitting to being bullied."

"Then what do you want us to do?" Hikaru demanded, becoming bored with poking Tamaki's bump. He turned to Haruhi with a semi-frustrated look. "Text her and say, _'Hey we know you're being bullied, wanna stop by the Host Club tomorrow for some cake?'_"

Haruhi's eyes lit up at the word "cake." "No, Hikaru, you're not going to need to do anything," she said. "Because Honey-senpai's going to be the one to talk to her, along with Mori-senpai."

"_What!?_ Why?" the easily agitated twin retorted. "Kaoru and I are the ones who have her number, she gave them to us."

"That doesn't mean she's more comfortable around you and Kaoru, though. Remember who she sits with at lunch everyday; just because you tutor her once doesn't mean she's trusted you one hundred percent, Hikaru."

She turned away from the boy to speak with Honey, leaving a fuming Hikaru to Kaoru. "Do you think you'll be able to do it, Honey-senpai?"

Honey nodded, putting on a determined expression. "Definitely. If it means Aiko-chan won't be bullied anymore, I'll do whatever I can!"

"Alright then!" came an ethusiastic yell from Tamaki, who seemed to have miraculously been cured from his previously grievous wound. He pointed a finger in Honey and Mori's direction, still speaking in a loud, demanding voice. "Then we'll leave it up to you, Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai. Do your best!"

"Right!" Honey replied. He and Mori both saluted as Tamaki turned to the others.

"As of now, Operation Aiko's Bully Blockers has commenced!"

* * *

END OF CHAPTER TEN

I swear, writing Tamaki is both a challenge and hilarious thing for me because I have to keep him in character without being _too_ over dramatic. I'm sure you see my problem there.

But I think that even though this chapter was shorter than the previous one, it definitely lagged a lot less, in my opinion. And there was lots of drama between Nijimi and Aiko *dun dun dah!* Will the Ice Princess stick good with her threat? Will the Host Club be able to get the truth out of Aiko? Will we ever find out what's on Kyoya's laptop? _The world may never know. xD _But seriously, thank you all for your reviews and favorites so far! And I was late-again! I owe you people so much!

Also, I'm sorry about the American tendencies I have put in this story. I understand that in Japanese schools, the students stay in a single classroom throughout the day and the teachers are the one that switch, but that's my bad. I hope it's still believable this way!

* * *

_Review time~_

**SmolderingBlackRose: **_Yay another chapter! I thought that you wrote the twins really well, to be honest. Also, Aiko is my favorite OC in fanfiction that I've ever seen. I just love her so much :3_  
_I'd have to say that my favorite subject is either English or World History. I like English because I'm best at it, and I want to be a published writer. And I like World History because learning the background of where we come from is extremely interesting._

Aw, I'm glad you thought so! The twins are the hardest characters for me to write, even though they're two of the main characters in this fic *sweatdrops* But your review made me smile, so thank you! Also, you and I are in the same boat about school subjects, my friend. I just _love _history of any kind, really, especially African and many Asian countries. Thanks for reviewing!

p.s. I hope you loved the "silly little tea drinkers" in their lime light xD

* * *

**Gottaloveastory: **_Blah. I had way too much Mt. Dew for my own good when I wrote that. I waited A WEEK for an update... That's a lot faster than my updates, you're fine. _

Well, if you're sure, haha. This chapter was even later, so I hope you're still happy with it! Thanks for the review, darlin'!

* * *

**Po1aris: **_I don't think this chapter was crap at all. It may have dragged a bit in certain places, though. I'd like to see if the twins try to teach Aiko the math she needs with architecture metaphors._

Thank you for saying so! I feel like although the last chapter wasn't technically a filler, it dragged like one, so I'm trying to improve in that respect. c: And you're such a good guesser, it made me laugh. Although they didn't really use metaphors for Aiko (I hope the explanation wasn't so confusing in the way it was described. Math isn't my best subject - or Aiko's, obviously- so I tried my best to make the transition simple, though I fear it was a little complicated. Aiko's mind is just strange, haha. Thanks so much for your review!

* * *

**FALLING-ANGEL24: **_Oh my gosh! This is beautiful! I really love this story so far! I hope that there'll be some MorixAiko moments. I almost cried when Honey told her that they were friends_

You're too sweet for saying so, thank you! :3 I'm glad you enjoy my story so far. Ha, and you're the second person whose mentioned the MorixAiko moment I managed to sneak in there. Don't worry, I'll be putting in a few more just for fun, since they're such cuties. Thanks a lot for reviewing!

* * *

**Meilong101: **_OMG! （）I love Aiko-Sama sooo much!_  
_I really like your writing style, and Aiko-Sama is a VERY real person to me. The only thing I have problem with is what she looks like, gomen nasai, Sensei. O＿O_

OMg you're literally the cutest, thanks so much! I'm not mad that you don't enjoy the way Aiko looks, so don't worry about it! (But wow, really, there's no need to call me "sensei", though it's very flattering, you cutie patootie) I just want to know what it is about Aiko's looks you don't like? I'm awfully curious xD

* * *

**Kang Mina: **_Hello! Sorry for not reviewing lately! :( I was buy with finals for a while. Chapters 8 and 9 were amazing! Aiko is the cutest character EVER! _

Dear, I'd rather you pass your finals than worry about reviewing for a silly old story like mine, but I'm glad you enjoyed the chapters! Haha, you're going to make Aiko blush saying things like that (which is good, you should keep doing it).

* * *

_Aiko, dear! It's time for your questions~_

Aiko: Okay...

First one is from **SBR: **_Aiko, are you allergic to anything?_

Aiko: Um...not that I know of

Which can be both good and bad. Because you don't know if you eat something you're allergic too until it's too late, and if you don't get immediate medical treatment, you could die.

Aiko: !

I'm kidding, kidding! Well...sort of...

Aiko: B-But-!

* * *

Next question! From **Gottaloveastory: **_Hey Aiko, are you any good at being not cute? I'm dying. X[_

Aiko: *blushes* Oh, I'm s-s-sorry...I don't want you to die...but I'm not th-_that _cute...

*coughs* Yeah, sure you're not.

* * *

Anyways, next question is from **Meilong101: **_Oh, I'm also curious, since Aiko-Sama doesn't like mornings, does she have type AB blood? (_)_

Aiko: Actually, my blood type is A n-negative...

It's not that Aiko doesn't like mornings, it's more that she doesn't enjoy waking up too early. Anytime before 9 AM will get you a sleep/grumpy Aiko. She's not as bad as Kyoya and Honey _trust me_

* * *

Last question! From **Kang Mina: **_A question for Aiko: Which member of the host club do you like the most right now? (As a friend, not anything else.)_

(this one made me laugh at her reaction)

Aiko: ...w-w-wait...you want m-me to pick favorites!?

Tsk, tsk, Aiko, it's not like she's asking you to pick which one you'd marry.

Aiko: WHAT!?

Oh dear. -_- Just answer the question

Aiko: *very, very quietly* okay...um...I guess...my f-favorite host...would be...H-H-Honey-senpai...

See? Now that wasn't so hard was it?

Aiko: *blushing too hard to answer*

And I think she's done. Haha, thank y'all so much for your reviews and questions, they make my day and what inspires me to keep writing no matter how late I may post! And don't hesitate to ask Aiko more questions! She loves them, honestly.

* * *

Also, again, sorry for American-izing the schools in this fic. I don't notice I'm doing it until I read other stories, so that's my bad. Okay, so I've got my question for you guys ready: _Which Host Club member do you love interacting with Aiko the most?_ Because I love hearing your opinions on the canon characters and my OC (plus I want to know how many of you are having trouble with picking a ship for Aiko, shh).

Last thing! If you guys wanted to know, this story and the Ouran anime (I base the majority of this fic on the anime, with characterizations and additions from the manga, btw) are parallels and happen at the same time. So you know what that means? _Ouran episodes and Aiko's story crossovers \\( e w e)/_ I live for that moment when I can do the summer chapters, y'all don't even know. Speaking of episodes, this particular chapter follows alongside Episode 6, _The Grade School Host Is the Naughty Type!_ Just fyi.

Alright, until next time, guys! Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!


	11. Honey and Mori's Intervention!

A/N: Well, it seems my schedule for updates is slowly starting to lose any and all meaning. But, hey, at least I updated it within a week of the last one, right? That's a **big** step up from my previous updates, let's be real. I feel like I rambled a little in this chapter, but oh well. Thanks to all who favorited/followed this story, and a special shout out to my reviewers! You reviews always make my day, really! Those reviews and questions for Aiko will be answered after the chapter is done! Enjoy, my friends!

_****edit note: horizontal line breaks added to review section on 10-14-14****_

_Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters, places, and events are _not_ mine. They all belong to the creator, the very wonderful and talented Bisco Hatori! This piece of fiction does not profit from anyone and I do not receive anything but happiness that my fic might be read by y'all._

* * *

ELEVEN

The text came just as Aiko was helped out of the limo. She dug through her bag to pull out her phone and flip it open, perplexed. _That was my text tone...but no one ever texts me but Yumi..._ Wordlessly, she flipped the phone open and clicked _read_.

_To: Aiko-chan_

_Hi, Aiko-chan, this is Honey~_

_Please meet me and Takashi at the school's dojo_

_tomorrow morning when you arrive at school._

_Oh, and if you're wondering, Hika-chan and Kao-chan  
gave us your number. See you tomorrow!_

She almost dropped the phone.

_Honey-senpai?_ _He wants me to meet him __a__n__d__ Mori-senpai tomorrow... _Immediately, Aiko's mind began jumping around, trying to figure out why she'd been summoned. _Are they mad at me?_ She fretted. _Did I do something tho upset Honey-senpai at lunch today? Because I was late?_

"Miss Aiko," Mako called to her from the driver's seat. His voice surprised her so much she jumped. "Is everything okay?"

Only then was Aiko aware of the fact that she'd probably been standing there, staring at her phone for longer than was acceptable. Blushing scarlet, she quickly reassured him that everything was fine before excusing herself and disappearing into the mansion. Aiko leaned against the door and sighed. _I must have done _something_ wrong to make Honey-senpai text me. The only problem is that I can't think of _what_._

Aiko wracked her brain as she made her way up to her room, unintentionally ignoring Hana and the other maids that greeted her. The entire day was replaying in her head.

"Ugh!" she groaned, head falling into her hands. "I can't think!" Plopping on her bed, she threw her bag over the side and stared at the screen of her phone, reading and re-reading the words enough times to sear them into the back of her eyelids. Lying on her back, Aiko looked up at her ceiling in misery.

It was obvious she wouldn't be getting much sleep that night.

* * *

Her prediction was frighteningly accurate: Aiko barely got two hours of rest when she retired to her room after picking at her dinner, trying to make it seem like she ate more than a spoonful. Yumi had given her a distasteful look, but said nothing.

Breakfast was much the same. She forced some of the omelet down her throat, but it fell like a rock into her stomach. That's how tightly her nerves were wound.

Aiko arrived at Ouran realizing that she had absolutely no idea where the school's dojos were located; in fact, she hadn't even known they _had_ dojos. Though it should've been self-explanatory considering the fact that Ouran had kendo and martial arts as clubs. She walked over to one of the boards stationed near the gates, thanking her lucky stars that they had maps posted there for visitors.

But even with the help of the map, it was still some time before Aiko managed to find the dojo. They were situated farther from the school than she'd expected, nestled into a grove of the sakura trees—lots of low-lying buildings with sliding panels open to let the warm weather and wind in. Aiko strained her ears, but she didn't hear any fighting. Dojos usually had early morning practices, too, didn't they?

She tread carefully along the grass pathway; slightly shaking hands clutched her bag to her chest as a protective shield.

"...h-h-hello...?" Her lips barely moved to form the word. "Honey-senpai? M-Mori-senpai?"

No response. Just the wind rustling the branches slightly.

Aiko pulled her phone out and glanced at the time. There was still plenty of time before the first bell was to ring, yet it seemed like Honey and Mori weren't there yet.

_Maybe they arrived earlier and then left because they didn't __think I was going to show up_, she thought worriedly. _I shouldn't __have__ skipped breakfast so I could have caught them..._

Her steps took her right in front of the open panels of the closest dojo, where she could see the backs of two people as they sat cross-legged in the middle of the floor, completely still and silent. It was the blonde hair and little pink bunny resting near the door that tipped her off.

The worry melted away for a moment. "Honey-senpai."

He didn't turn around; neither did the taller black-haired man who was Mori. Aiko blinked. Had they heard her?

"M-M-Mori-senpai..." she tried again, just a bit louder. Again, they didn't stir. Suddenly, a realization dawned on Aiko and her heart sunk like a rock. Were they _ignoring _her? It felt like she wasn't getting any air. Could Honey and Mori be so angry at her that they asked her to meet them there to show her that their friendship wa over?

The back of her throat burned. Aiko didn't know how long she stood there with her chest tightening and trying not to let tears puddle at the corner of her eyes. Long enough for her minor fit to relapse back into a quiet resignation. Just as she turned around to leave, Honey stirred from his position, turning around and blinking. An ecstatic grin broke out across his face once his eyes landed on his cute junior. "Aiko-chan!"

Mori looked back as well, his usual passive expression on his face, but his eyes were warm and gentle.

"Come on, Aiko-chan. It's alright for you to come in—just make sure you leave your shoes outside the doors."

Aiko blinked in confusion, following Honey's instructions without thinking about them. The two seniors turned around so that they were facing her completely. Settling herself on the mats of the dojo, Aiko bowed her head in greeting. "Good m-morning, senpai..."

Honey laughed. "G'morning!"

"Morning," came Mori's low greet.

She straightened and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry if I w-w-was interrupting-"

"Oh, you just walked in while Takashi and I were meditating. We have to sit still and clear our minds for an hour after training so that we can center ourselves. It's pretty fun, right, Takashi?" The blond Lolita turned to his cousin. Mori just nodded.

"I see," Aiko replied softly. The painful squeezing in her chest loosened at that; they could be angry at her for whatever reason, but Aiko was just glad they weren't ignoring her.

Honey looked back at Aiko, bright-eyed. "But I'm glad you showed up, Aiko-chan. We really needed to talk to you, and Hika-chan was nice enough to give us your number."

Aiko nodded listlessly, trying to keep her breathing even, and her heart rate steady. This was it — they were going to tell her what she did so wrong that they had to get her number from Hikaru just to yell at her early in the morning. Just as the situation started to take control of her very emotional heart, something clicked in what Honey had just said; Aiko blinked.

"Wait...you said y-ou got my number f-f-from-"

"Hika-chan," Honey repeated easily.

Her expression must have resembled a gold-fish the way her mouth opened and closed with no sound escaping. Thankfully, Honey started explaining before anyone asked if she needed some water and a bowl.

"We got it from him yesterday before club time started." He looked down at his hands resting on his knees. "I hope you're not upset we got it without asking you first, Aiko-chan; we just really needed to talk to you."

Mori nodded as well, even managing to give a short grunt.

If it was possible for an eighteen year old to resemble a kicked puppy, Honey was doing a rather superb job. Aiko felt her confusion ease a bit. She managed a sincere smile. "I'm not mad, Honey-senpai. You w-went to all that trouble just to get m-m-my number; it must be very important..."

The Lolita boy immediately perked up. "You're not mad?" Aiko shook her head. "That's great! I'd hate to make you upset with me."

"Mitskuni," Mori rumbled. This was obviously a signal of some sort because Honey was once again somber, giving Aiko a long, not unkind stare.

"Right. Sorry, Takashi. We came here on a mission."

The tightness in her chest was almost suffocating, but Aiko kept herself from falling apart. Besides, Honey's words were enough to distract her. "Wh-wh-what mission?"

Honey pursed his lips slightly. "Aiko-chan, are you having any trouble here? Is everyone being nice to you?"

Aiko's mind pulled up blank. There she went with the goldfish expression again. "Sorry?"

Frowning, Honey repeated his questions. And yet Aiko still could not fully process his words. It was turning out to be a rather slow day for her.

"You mean..." She took a deep breath before continuing; Honey and Mori gave her curious looks. "You're...y-you're not going to...get m-m-mad at me?"

Now it was their turn to blink stupidly. "For what? Why'd we do that, Aiko-chan?"

Their confusion only seemed to grow as Aiko fidgeted in her spot. Her hands tapped against her knees; she wouldn't meet their eyes. In fact, she even bowed her head to hide the growing heat spreading across her face. Her voice was hardly more than a whisper.

"Well...I thought...y-y-you and Mori-senpain...were upset w-ith me...because I did something wrong...and you w-w-ere going to yell at...me..." she responded.

It was very quiet for a while. Aiko was almost too scared to look up from beneath her bangs. Suddenly, a large, warm hand pressed against hers, stilling them. She was so shocked a slight gasp escaped as her eyes darted up to meet the steady gaze of Mori. He didn't look mad—really, he didn't have much of an expression, as always. But Aiko thought she saw a gentleness in the quirk of his lips as he said, "We're not mad."

Those three simple words had such an effect on Aiko. Her shoulders slumped, the tension melting away. Slowly, but steadily. "You're...not?"

Mori shook his head, his hand still covering hers. Distantly, Aiko was amazed that both of her hands were small enough tp be covered completely by one of his own. She wanted to look down and compare the sizes, but her eyes stayed locked on his.

"We couldn't be mad with you for doing nothing wrong, Aiko-chan," Honey chimed in softly, breaking Aiko's concentration. Her gaze refocused on the blond; he was giving her a gentle smile, making him look his real age. The concern was obvious in his light eyes. "Why'd you think we were upset with you? Did we seem mad?"

Quickly, Aiko shook her head. "No, no!"

"Then why?"

Aiko hesitated. Her teeth found purchase against her bottom. "Y-Your text...I thought you were mad because I w-w-was late...for lunch, I m-mean."

When she mentioned lunch, something in Honey's eyes hardened, but then disappeared so quickly Aiko thought she'd just imagine it. He laughed slightly. "Silly, Aiko-chan. We're not mad at you for being late."

"Really?"

"Really!" The pink flowers popped into existence around his head. "I promise, that's not why I texted you to come here."

She seemed to go limp, the relief was so strong. _They're...they're not mad at me_, Aiko told herself. Her head fell again, this time hiding a soft smile. _I really worried for nothing..._

Honey continued. "But we _did_ ask you here for a reason, Aiko-chan."

The warm hand disappeared from hers, causing Aiko to start. She had totally forgotten Mori's hand was there; how quickly she got used to it. The thought made her nearly turn scarlet. "Y-Y-Yes?"

The serious expression was back on Honey's face. It slipped into his voice, though there was a clear concern there as well. "We wanted to know if anyone was bothering you at school, Aiko-chan. Is anyone bullying you?"

Aiko swallowed a lump in her throat. Again, she wasn't meeting their eyes. Now that her earlier worries had been eased, the question Honey was asking was starting to sink in—and it was rather closer to the truth than Aiko would have liked.

"N-No, senpai. Everything's f-f-fine." She never was a good liar to begin with.

"Aiko-chan, if someone is being mean to you, we wanna know. Takashi and I don't want you being bullied by someone if we can do something to help. We're you're friends, and seeing our friends getting hurt is a big no-no." Honey leveled an even, determined look her way, surprising Aiko with its intensity. Mori had a similar expression. "We can protect you."

Aiko looked between the two boys in front of her, honestly unsure of how they could care for her so much in such little time. It had been a long time ago when Aiko had believed in the promises other people gave her, the hope that maybe this time, _this time_ for sure, she wouldn't be disappointed. And in the end, she always got the worse end of those broken words; the shattered trust that crashed around her like shards of glass. Eventually, she just decided to stop believing.

But here were Mori and Honey, hardly knowing her for more than a few weeks, concerned for her and telling her that they would protect her from people trying to bother her. This time, when her throat constricted, it wasn't out of fear — she was just trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill.

She looked away, ashamed of herself. These two wonderful people were her friends — Hikaru and Haruhi and Kaoru were, too, they'd said so — and Aiko was worried that they'd get upset with her for being late. They _should _have been upset with her for holding back the threats she'd received from Nijimi.

Was it supposed to be this _nerve-wracking_, though? Aiko wasn't too used to admitting to such things. At her boarding school, she'd often tried to tell her teachers about the mean girls in her class, but she'd been brushed off every time; so it just became natural for her to remain silent. She fidgeted as her resolve wavered.

Honey seemed to take her silence for abstinence. "I'm sure it's hard to admit to something like this, Aiko-chan. But we know that there are some meanies here at school — we had to help Haru-chan from a big bully named Ayanakoji—"

That was _definitely_ news to her. Aiko remembered Haruhi mentioning briefly that people hadn't always been so nice to him, but she hadn't been paying attention as much as she probably should have. She opened her mouth to respond, but Honey continued on the same breath: "—and we know she's got friends that are also meanies. Like Akihito Nijimi."

The name itself brought out an immediate reaction from Aiko: she sucked in a quick breath, eyes darting up and back to her hands, which had clenched into fists along her skirt. "...um..."

Honey's voice softened. "She's been being mean to you, hasn't she, Aiko-chan? She cornered you yesterday — that's why you were late for lunch, right?"

Silently, Aiko bobbed her head in confirmation.

The two seniors shared a look above Aiko's head. Mori nodded his head slightly. Returning the nod, Honey turned back to his underclassman, who was still hanging her head in shame. It hurt him to see Aiko like that — she was a really sweet girl and didn't deserve to be the target of someone's negative feelings and actions.

"That settles it, then," he said decisively, standing. His movement caused Aiko to finally look up. Honey raised one hand into a determined fist, the other resting on his hip. "Don't you worry anymore, Aiko-chan; we'll protect you from those meanies! Messing with my friends is a big no-no!"

A wave of gratitude swept over her. He didn't ask what had happened — though it would no doubt come up later — and didn't even wonder if it was her fault, like the teachers had before. Always _"Well, did you do something to provoke this person?"_ or _"People aren't just mean to others for no reason." _Never just accepting that there _were_ people out there who just enjoyed making the weak feel weaker. Yet here were two people who believed Aiko's words without fail. And it made her chest feel lighter with each breath she took.

Aiko glanced from Honey to Mori, who looked collected as always, but there was a curling of his lips that let her know he was smiling. She couldn't help but smile back as well.

* * *

Honey and Mori walked her to class after they'd changed into their uniforms; the atmosphere surrounding the trio was much lighter as they walked back to the main campus. It was almost as if the last ten minutes had not occurred. But it had, and Aiko had to admit, it turned out far better than any scenario she had stayed up fretting over.

_ I guess I was being silly about the whole thing_, she mused to herself, smiling at Honey's enthusiastic chatter.

They walked her right to the door of her home room, not seeming to notice the many stares and awed whispers that followed after. Aiko blushed at the attention, thankful that she had Honey to distract her.

"We'll see you at lunch, Aiko-chan!" Honey assured her with a grin, waving to her over his shoulder as the two began walking back down the hallway to their own class. Aiko laughed slightly and waved as well before entering her home room.

"Someone seems chipper today," Hikaru noted aloud as Aiko took her seat. He and his brother were leaning against Haruhi's desk, and all three had stopped their conversation as soon as she'd entered the room. "Did everything go well with Honey-senpai?"

For a moment, Aiko blinked in confusion. "How did-" Then Honey's words from earlier rang in her mind.

_"__—__Hika-chan was nice enough to give us your number."_

_Oh, right._ They must have told the twins why they needed her number in the first place.

_ But I wonder if they know everything...?_

"Just so you know, Aiko," Haruhi spoke up, twisting around in his seat so he could look her in the eye. "We're going to protect you from Nijimi-san as well, so you don't have to worry about her during class, okay?"

The twins shared smirks. "Yeah, that way you can focus on your work-"

"-specifically your math."

As they snickered and Haruhi scolded them, a realization clicked into place. "Y-You know about her—?"

"Bullying you?" the three hosts finished for her. Blushing, Aiko nodded lamely. "Of course. Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai aren't your only friends who noticed you acting funny yesterday, Aiko."

"The whole club's going to help out as much as needed," Haruhi added. He gave her a reassuring grin. "That's what friends do for each other."

Hazel eyes widened in surprise, then lowered to her desk. _They'd offer their help...just like that. _Aiko was at a loss for what to say to express just how appreciative she was for them. _I don't deserve such kindness from these people. I'm not like them; they hardly know me. But..._

They were all grinning at her, eyes showing the determination they felt, and it touched her that they cared so much. Haruhi, Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai, Hikaru, Kaoru — even Tamaki and Kyoya were going to help — and it made Aiko so emotional she was surprised she wasn't crying yet. Though that would be horribly embarrassing.

Instead, she looked at her classmates — no, better yet, her _friends — _and her lips curling up into an easy grin, though she was blushing slightly as well. The words she couldn't put forth spoke in that wide smile, and in those sparkling hazel eyes. It was similar to the smile she used to have all the time as a child with her mother, something so rarely seen after the accident.

_"__Thank you."_

It was just like before, when she flashed that smile at Mori and Honey the day after the tournament; all three hosts blinked at the sudden transformation of the girl in front of them. _She's...so cute when she smiles like that_, they unknowingly thought together. Haruhi and Kaoru were the first ones to come out of it, grinning right back.

Hikaru, however, felt as though he'd been punched again — he wondered if that would happen every time he saw Aiko smiling like that. That happy, and frankly adorable smile made his face grow warm. Trying to hide it, he looked away as Haruhi engaged Aiko in conversation, and the smile fell back into a smaller one, though the happiness remained. Hikaru hoped no one noticed the pink tinge in his cheeks; unfortunately, he missed the sly look his own twin brother shot his way.

* * *

Aiko should have asked what they meant by "protecting" her from Nijimi.

"Everyone make room, make room-"

"-important mission ahead of us,_ thank _you-"

"-bodyguards coming through!"

The twins seemed to take it much more seriously than she'd previously thought. They, plus Haruhi, made sure that Aiko stayed situated in the middle of their group. The twins stayed by her sides as they made their way through the halls to the next class while Haruhi took the point, though he didn't make as much of a ruckus as the ginger hosts, for which Aiko was thankful.

She blushed every time she made eye contact with any of the other students in the hallway; eventually she had to just stare at the back of Haruhi's head to avoid overheating.

And it was the same thing every time they switched classes. They even followed her to the door at lunch time where Honey and Mori were waiting for them to take Aiko outside.

"Reporting for duty, Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai!" the twins announced, saluting the seniors and standing at attention. Haruhi, bless him, didn't; simply rolled his eyes and adopted a neutral look.

While Aiko tried to disappear into the walls, Honey simply copied their movements. "Good job, Hika-chan, Kao-chan, Haru-chan! We'll bring her back to you when lunch finishes!"

_"Yes, sir!"_

Honey turned to Aiko with a wide smile. "Let's go, Aiko-chan! I've got lots of yummy cake today we can share!"

She followed behind him and Mori quickly, wanting to be outside and away from the crowded hallways as quickly as possible. It was easier to breathe once they were seated beneath the cherry blossom tree.

"Did you have a good morning so far, Aiko-chan?" Honey asked her around a mouthful of cake. Mori sat by quietly enjoying his own meal.

Aiko laughed slightly. "Yes, I did."

"That's great! I'll tell you about mine...!"

She'd been hoping that Honey had been joking when he said they'd all meet again so that they could pass Aiko along to her classmates. Unfortunately, once they'd finished their lunch, Honey and Mori did indeed meet Haruhi and the others in the same place, with the same theatrics, much to her utter chagrin.

"Take good care of her, guys! We're counting on you!" was Honey's enthusiastic departure.

_"__Sir, yes, sir!"_

Mori even rustled her hair before walking with Honey, to which the twins grinned and snickered at her flaming cheeks. And the cycle from that morning continued on.

Aiko sighed to herself as the other students whispered and stared while she and her personal "bodyguards" walked through the hallway. _It's not that I'm not grateful for their help—I just wish they'd be a little quieter about it. _What_ have I gotten myself into with this Host club?_

* * *

END OF CHAPTER ELEVEN

_Phew!_ I don't know about you guys, but that was a pretty angsty chapter, if you want my opinion. Also the shortest chapter to date: 3.9k words! So pitiful T-T Anyways, I'd like to start off this end-of-chapter-A/N by stating that I've been getting a lot more reviews recently regarding Aiko's stuttering problem. They all say Aiko stutters _way_ too much - which doesn't make me mad, I promise! I love hearing your opinions on Aiko, no matter if they're good or bad! But I'd just like to give a little explanation about Aiko's stutter and just stuttering in general.

Stuttering is considered a type of speech impediment, or disorder, where the speaker has trouble with the flow of their speech, pronouncing certain vowels/letters/sounds, and therefore having a "block" on their speech. It is often associated with nervousness/shyness in mainstream media and is a "shy character trope" in lots of media/books and the like. In reality, that's not particularly true: shyness doesn't cause stuttering. It's a physical condition first and foremost, though stuttering _can_ cause a person to _become_ anxious and/or a shy person. Often, if the stuttering is severe enough, the person has the option to get involved in speech therapy.

That being said, Aiko _does_ have a slight stuttering impediment on her speech. It does tend to become worse when she is put into a stressful situation, or becomes extremely anxious. Much of her timid nature _comes from this impediment and is not the thing that creates the stutter itself._ It used to be much worse as a child before she was put into speech therapy, which is one of the root causes of her childhood bullying, _which created her anxiety and skepticism around other people._ I repeat: _Aiko has had this stuttering problem since an early age and is in no way tied to her current shy disposition._ Though as I read your reviews, I went back and realized that I had, in fact, written her with a much worse stutter in more recent chapters compared to the first few. I went back and fixed the chapters a bit to fit better with Aiko.

Again I'm not mad at anyone for pointing this out to me! And the rant above was just a short explanation of stuttering and how it applies to Aiko and her story. Sorry if I seemed like I was slamming you guys, really, but I just feel like everyone should understand about stuttering and other such speech impediments, as I have many friends with some of their own. c:

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_On to reviews now!~_

**Gottaloveastory: **_Oh look! It's Aiko! (BTW, this is NOT the Gottaloveastory that's previously reviewed. I'm her cousin... so uh, Konnichiwa! Ogenki desu ka!? (I'm sill learning japanese, excuse the terrible... ness of it.) *Squeals* Aiko! Why you so cuuuuutttee!? DX It's rippin my soul to shreds!_

Well, it's nice to meet you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story as much as your cousin! Genki desu (I totally just copied that off the internet since my Japanese is literally nonexistent. ) Thank you for reviewing!

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**SmolderingBlackRose: **Oh my gosh, the face at the end of your authors note...XD I'm still laughing. And oh my gosh, Aiko, you are the cutest of the cute! I just can't sometimes with you. You are so adorable. I'd have to say like I like it when she interacts with ALL of the hosts, so I don't really have a favorite, but Honey-senpai is always fun to read with her! So I guess him then...? So yup!

Hah, I get a little over excited sometimes when I talk about upcoming chapters xD I'm glad I could amuse you. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, since it had lots of Aiko and Honey interactions (even if they were hella angst-ridden). Thanks for your review, sweetheart!

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**Kang Mina: **Another chapter! YAYYYY! I love Aiko so much! She's adorable and literally the best OC ever! I love her interactions with Honey, although I think I'll like her and Tamaki's interactions when she starts spending more time with the hosts. I'm curious as to how she'll deal with Tamaki's puppy-ness.

Aw, thanks for saying so! Aiko's blushing just hearing you say that - it's really too sweet of you UwU. Yes! Thank you for saying so because I can't wait to start writing out more Tamaki and Aiko interactions, honestly. You'll have to wait to find out, though, but I'm sure you'll like it! Thanks for your review!

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**Guest:** _It bothers me that Aiko stutters WAY too much. I understand she's really shy and and closed off, but it still bothers me. Sometimes, I just zone off and stop reading because of it. Overall, the story is great. I hope you don't get offended somehow._

As I stated before, it doesn't offend me when people give an opinion on my OC, as long as they don't blatantly flame her or me. It helps me grow as author when you guys give constructive criticism like this! I hope my rant gave you a better understanding of Aiko and stuttering in general. Thank you for reviewing, darlin!

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**Jewelsy426: **_Hello! First time reviewer, just read through all the chapters recently, and really loved the story! Aiko is SOO cute and stuff, being all shy. I know you were thinking this would be a MorixOC or HikaruxOC fanfic, but PLEASE consider having it be a HoneyxOC fanfic! You already said Honey is her favorite host and Honey does seem the most attached to Aiko! PLEASE consider it, I would really enjoy seeing that relationship bloom! Hey thanks for all the work you put into this story! PLEASE update soon! (I feel like I've said please a lot in this review... is that a bad thing?)_

Hi to you, too! Thank you for taking the time to read and review my story, friend! I'm glad you love it so much. Your review made me smile a lot - but I'm afraid you'll have to settle for a brother/sister relationship with Aiko and Honey, m'dear! They _are_ very close and he _is_ her favorite host so far because he was the first nice person in Ouran to really welcome her and befriend her (Mori being second) and their personalities just click in that way, I feel. Sorry if that disappoints you! I honestly like Honey with the character he eventually ends up with in the manga and I really hate the fact she didn't show up in the anime. But thank you very much for your review!

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**YaoiRPAlley: **_So that name is actually my account name, but I'm using my phone so I can't log in at the moment, but I just wanted to tell you I LOVE THIS STORY. It's so cute oh jeez I don't want to sound mean or anything, but the only thing that makes it hard to read for me is the abundance of stuttering, but that's not necessarily your fault! I have bad eyes, so it makes it hard to see the sentence. Other than that, you're absolutely adorable and I love you. ;-; Can we have a hint about the pairings though pleeeeeeaaase? I like her with Hikaru because he's a big part of this, but I also liked how cute the interaction between her and Mori played out! I'm also bias because Mori is my favorite... xD_

Just...wow. Your review nearly had me in tears of gratitude ;w; Thank you _so, so, so much! _Really, this just put the biggest smile on my face! You don't sound mean at all, dear, trust me. I'm sorry your eyes had some trouble, I hope this chapter was a little better, friend. Hahaha, okay, I'll give you a hint - just one! The person Aiko ends up with is mentioned in the characters portion (you know where you can list some of the main characters for the fanfic, yeah that part) But that's all I'm saying! xD Mori's my favorite, too, honestly. Please review again!

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**ladyliberty7476: **_I'm sorry I haven't reviewed recently, but I still absolutely ADORE your story and Aiko! She has only gotten better as a character. Her reaction to being bullied is very realistic, and the way that you write out the Host Club is very in character and amazing! You haven't written any "crappy" chapters, even if you say you have. They are all very well written and I can't wait for more. I love her cute interactions with Mori the most, the twins coming in a close second. I would like to see more interactions between Aiko and Tamaki, and I can't wait until Aiko finds out that Haruhi is a girl and their friendship grows. _

It's okay, sweetie, I'm glad you have the time to review even once! This made me very happy when I read it, not gonna lie. I try to make any OC I create as realistic as possible because I feel like a lot of times in fanfiction people tend to exaggerate OCs in most manga/anime ones as far as I've seen. Not that it's bad to do so, but I don't prefer it. Also thank you for saying so, I hope you think this one wasn't crap either, haha. Trust me, Aiko's interactions with all of the hosts will increase very soon! Thank you for reviewing, my friend!

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**WaddlesthePig: **_I just wanted to tell you I LOVE THIS STORY. It's so cute oh jeez. The only thing is the abundance of stuttering kinda irks me at time, but that's not necessarily your fault! Aiko is a reserved character who has a hard time interacting with others. Other than that, the story's absolutely adorable and I love the way you portray the characters, both your Oc's and the main cast ;-; I sincerely hope you update as soon as possible_

Here's your update, darlin! I hope you enjoyed this one as much as you liked the previous ones. The stuttering was explained earlier, and I also fixed the places where there was an over-abundance of stuttering, so I hope it worked out better for you that way! Thank you again for saying so, I get really stuck trying to keep the main cast in character as much as possible while also incorporating my OCs, so that means a lot! Your review is greatly appreciated!

* * *

_Now for questions~_

Aiko: We got a lot this time, didn't w-we?

Yes, _you_ did. How about we start with **Gottaloveastory: **_Hmm. *Looks off into space* Oh yeah, on a scale of one to ten Usa-Chan plushies, how scared are you of Oòtori Kyoya?_

Aiko: _*blinks* _One to ten?

I'm guessing ten would be a lot and one would be not a lot? We'll just go with that!

Aiko: Well, I've on-nly met him once, and while he seemed..._creepy_, I wasn't scared of-f him. S-So...I'd say four Usa-chan p-p-plushies.

* * *

**SBR: **_Aiko, what would you say your best quality about yourself is? From your perspective, not others._

(I honestly love the questions you give her, thank you so much for them!)

Aiko: ...um, I don't think I s-see myself in a very good light, actuall-y. And the only people who r-r-eally compliment me are my f-father and Yumi...but...I guess I like my hair? It's the same color as my m-mother's, and she liked to play in it a lot.

* * *

**Kang Mina: **_Also... Aiko, love, since you like architecture so much, what is your favorite historical building? Like the Sistine Chapel, or the Parthenon, etc.?_

Nice one!

Aiko: _*sparkles surround her head* _Oh! I can't possibly choose just on-ne! All of those are v-very beautiful structures, really, and I love them all! But if-f I had to choose one? Well...I guess that w-would be the Eif-ffel Tower._  
_

Any particular reason?

Aiko: _*rambles on about the design and how it's one of the most famous architectural structures ever designed*_

Yeah, it's safe to say she's a real architecture freak (no offence to other people who like architecture).

* * *

Last question! **Jewelsy426: **_Hey, I have a couple questions for Aiko. What is your favorite sweet? And who is your role model (besides your parents)?_

Aiko: I don't eat m-many sweets, but I r-r-really like sour things. Like Sour Punch Kids, or Sour Punch S-Straws. They're really good.

Now for the next one~

Aiko: R-Right. Um...I rather like M-Maya Angelou. She was just s-so confident and I r-respected that about her. I was very sad to hear of her death...

_*a moment of silence for this wonderful woman whom I love very much*_

* * *

And that's the end of this very long author's note! I just added at least another 3k to this story, geez c: Anyway, thanks so much for your questions and reviews, everyone! They always inspire me and I hope you continue to grace me with your opinions, no matter if they're good or bad! Until next time!

Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!


	12. The Host Club Welcomes You!

A/N: Yay, I actually got this updated on time! Just in time for me to start school, too. And speaking of school I hope you guys will understand if my updates get more sporadic as time goes on. Junior year is the hardest year (or so everyone says) so please don't get mad if it seems like I'm not paying attention to this story like I should. That being said, I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!

_Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters, places, and events are _not_ mine. They all belong to the creator, the very wonderful and talented Bisco Hatori! This piece of fiction does not profit from anyone and I do not receive anything but happiness that my fic might be read by y'all._

* * *

TWELVE

For the next two days it seemed like no matter _where_ Aiko was on the school grounds, there was always at least two hosts with her.

In the mornings, Honey and Mori would be there at the school gates to receive her when Mako dropped her off. Once Aiko was clear of the vehicle, Honey attached himself to one side of her, already jabbering away on whatever topic seemed to pop into his mind; Mori took up position on Aiko's other side, though a bit behind her shoulder, as if he were the look-out. A sentry for danger in the form of Akihito Nijimi — Aiko couldn't help but admit that she felt safer with Mori watching out for her.

They'd walk among the immaculate Ouran grounds before escorting her to home room, meeting Haruhi and the twins right at the door. Then it was the first year trio's turn to babysit.

That was how Aiko described it, anyway. Every time she switched between the "Protection Squads," as Hikaru and his brother liked to call the two groups, Aiko pictured it as her being bumped between babysitters. Or maybe a preschooler passed between parent and teacher. The exasperating part was that she didn't know which group was the parent, and which was the teacher.

But despite the funny stares they got in the hallways — thanks to the twins, really — and Aiko's embarrassment, she _did_ feel safer knowing that these amazing people were looking out for her. It was as if a large weight had been relieved from her shoulders and taken up by the Host Club.

And the few times that Aiko accidentally made eye contact with Nijimi, the other girl would scowl heavily and turn her nose away before stalking off, her cronies struggling to catch up. It filled Aiko with a sense of pride, which was so rare that she almost couldn't identify it.

* * *

"Class, just a reminder that your test is tomorrow, so please study tonight, and _be prepared_," Mr. Okanawa announced at the end of class on Thursday. His voice carried over the quiet conversations of the students, making sure they could all hear him. "I've added a few more word problems as well; I'd recommend you look over such problems in your textbooks before tomorrow." There was a collective groan; the teacher rolled his eyes. "That is all. You're free to socialize until the last bell rings."

As the others continued to chat away about various things ("My father's taking me to see the premiere of that new movie." "The one all the way London?" "Yeah, that one."), Aiko concentrated her efforts on keeping a calm head over the test.

_I'll just ask Hikaru and Kaoru if they'll be willing to come over to my house again and tutor me_, she assured herself, taking a deep breath. _As long as they help me, I should be able to get a higher score than last time — I might even _pass_._

The thought brought a slight smile to Aiko's face. So preoccupied was she with her mental encouragement, Hikaru and Kaoru managed to slide onto either side of her desk, elbows on the top and propping their chins up on their hands, signature imp-like smirks already in place.

"Well, someone's—"

"—looking pretty cheerful."

Startled, Aiko jumped in her seat, only to flush as she realized that she'd been smiling to herself for more than would be publicly acceptable. Big hazel eyes blinked owlishly up at the twins. "What do you mean? Is that a bad thin-ng?"

"On anyone else in the world, probably not," Kaoru admitted.

Hikaru's smirk grew. "But on you, it must be a pretty amazing thing you're thinking about, considering you hardly ever look particularly excited about something."

Aiko blushed harder, fiddling with her fingers. Behind her, Haruhi spoke up. "That was mean, Hikaru. Aiko's been excited about things before."

"Yeah, but not that we've seen it happen."

Haruhi rolled his eyes before training them on Aiko's red face. "What were you thinking about, Aiko? Are you doing something interesting after school?"

"Not really...w-well, I'm sure it could be," she amended quickly, nervous laughter slipping through. "It was a silly thing to get s-so excited about, anyway."

Hikaru and Kaoru pouted, giving each other sidelong glances. "You just don't want to tell us, do you?"

Immediately, Aiko waved her hands in an attempt to dispel the idea. "Of-f course not! It was just...I was thinking how much better I'll probably do on the test if y-you two...could tutor me again..." she finished lamely, chewing on her lip.

The twins blinked, at a momentary loss for words. It was like they couldn't believe that Aiko had willingly told them what she'd been thinking. Hikaru recovered first, wide grin spreading across his face as he gave Aiko a knock to the head — much gentler than the first time. "You really are silly, getting all excited over something small like that, Aiko."

Was her face on fire? It sure felt like it at that point.

Kaoru surely didn't help that fact as he nudged her on the shoulder. "We told you already that we'd do the same thing for any friend."

"Especially if that friend has Super Mario Kart," Hikaru added helpfully.

If it was possible for Aiko to turn even more red, she managed. Haruhi wore an expression that looked torn between amusement and asking Aiko if she needed some water.

"Then you'll tutor me today?" Aiko voiced.

The twins answered immediately. _"Nope."_

She blinked. "Wh-what?"

"Shh, there, there, pet," Kaoru hushed her, putting a hand on her head and patting it a few times. "Don't get worked up just yet — you haven't let us finish."

"See, we still have Host duties this afternoon," Hikaru explained.

"—so any time between the time the bell rings and club activities are finished—"

"—we'll be busy and won't have time to tutor you."

Aiko hesitated before nodding slowly, showing that she understood so far. "But what about af-f-fter...?"

The two jesters pulled faces at each other, like, _She really _doesn't _get it does she?_ Kaoru turned back to her. "By the time club activities are over, it'll be way too late to tutor you for you to get enough sleep."

"And you'll be so tired the next day you'll probably fall asleep during the test and fail," the blunter twin finished with a knowing look; his brother just nodded solemnly.

Aiko's brow furrowed in worry as she deflated in her seat. Her hands started fussing over a piece of her hair as the twins' words sunk in. _I can't pass the test without Hikaru and Kaoru tutoring me_, she fretted. _But I won't do any better if I'm as tired as they say I'll be. It took _hours_ for us to get through everything last time...so they're probably right about the time we'd be finished..._

Haruhi watched as Aiko visibly got more and more worked up while the twins looked on, oblivious to the stress they'd just dumped on the poor girl's shoulders. The cross-dressing host sighed in exasperation as the twins' plan became clear to her. _You know you've hung out with these two for too long when you start to understand their schemes this easily_, Haruhi thought to herself.

Putting a hand on her hip, Haruhi gave both brothers a dead-panned look. "You guys, come on. Quit scaring Aiko — just tell her you need her to come to the club to tutor her."

Three pairs of eyes snapped to the newest host; one confused hazel, and two disgruntled amber. "Way to go, Haruhi," the twins muttered, crossing their arms in defeat. "You ruined all our fun."

"Come...to the host cl-lub?" Aiko repeated dumbly.

Hikaru rolled his eyes. "Well, duh."

"If you come to the club we'd be able to tutor you after the last person left and just cancel the club meeting for today. We don't have anything really going on this week, surprisingly, so we'd have a few hours for the session."

Aiko's mouth formed a small "O." Haruhi spoke up on her behalf. "See? Was that so hard to do? You were bound to give Aiko a heart attack the way you two were talking."

"Yeah, but this way we don't get a funny reaction," Hikaru grumbled under his breath. Haruhi ignored him in favor of speaking to Aiko, an encouraging smile on his face.

"So how about it, Aiko?" he said. "I'm sure Honey-senpai will be happy to see you. And Mori-senpai, of course."

Aiko turned all of it over in her mind, gnawing at her lips again. This wouldn't be the first time the idea of attending the Host Club had crossed her mind, but it had usually been discarded rather quickly in fear that if she thought about it too much, she might actually go. Besides, she'd reasoned, there was really no reason to go and make a fool of herself in front of the hosts and their guests again. _Now_, however, there was a reason — a very _real_, very _important_ reason for Aiko to attend the Host Club.

But would she be able to handle it this time around? Honey had assured her that if she ever visited again, he'd make sure that she was seated with her host first and foremost so that she wouldn't feel left out again. As sweet and touching as his assurances were, Aiko couldn't help but acknowledge that she'd probably feel left out anyway, among the conversations.

_I don't talk to anyone but them and Honey and Mori. I won't know how to act around those girls—and what if they don't like me?_

Honey's cheerful smile popped into her mind; then Mori's calming gaze, the feel of his warm hand over hers, reassuring her that she was safe. Aiko looked up at the twins and Haruhi bantering quietly as they waited for her to think it over.

_Honey-senpai. Mori-senpai. Hikaru and Kaoru, and Haruhi — they wouldn't let anyone be outright mean to me. They'__ve __been protecting me the past three days __during school; they'll probably still do so even at their club._

Not to mention she _needed_ to get tutored to have even a slim chance of passing the math test tomorrow. Aiko wouldn't be able to face her father's disappointed look if she was bumped into the lower class. _Plus, I would never hear the end of it from Nijimi-san, no matter how hard the others try to protect me._

Well. It seemed it was decided, then.

Steeling her confidence before she inevitably backed out, Aiko raised her head slightly. The others turned to her with expectant looks.

"Alr-right. I'll come."

* * *

"We're here!" the twins called out as soon as they entered Music Room #3.

Tamaki, who was sitting and talking with Kyoya about his next cosplay idea, turned around with an easy smile. "Oh, hey guys. How was your d—?" He cut himself with a slight choking sound as his gaze fell upon the female who was walking next to his precious daughter.

The timid girl was looking at her surroundings...well, _timidly_, taking short, quick steps, as if she thought there were bombs on the floor. She was obviously out of her comfort zone, and her internal fretting was plastered all over her face. But to see her here, at the Host Club, proved that she'd made the decision herself, which proved Aiko did have some courage buried deep down.

For a moment, Tamaki allowed himself to feel the respect that was due to the girl — before he bounded across the room and scooped Aiko up in a smothering hug and spun her around. Much like he usually did with Haruhi; but this way, he knew he wouldn't get pinched or thrown around.

"Aiko-hime!" Tamaki exclaimed in excitement as they twirled. Or rather, Tamaki twirled while Aiko just held on for dear life. "You've finally returned to us! And here I thought you'd never return because of my horrible oversight of your treatment from last time — well, you don't have to worry about that this time, I vow to give you the treatment a princess such as yourself truly deserves!"

The others watched on with various expressions. Kyoya was impassive as ever, though there was a slight smirk on his features; the twins were snickering in sadistic entertainment. Haruhi just heaved a sigh as Tamaki continued to prattle on. Aiko couldn't even retaliate: she was too scared she'd go flying if either let go.

Finally, thankfully, Haruhi took pity on the poor girl and grabbed Tamaki by the back of his jacket and tugged, none to kindly. He was soon sprawled on his back on the floor as Aiko held her head and tried to make the room stop spinning.

"Sorry about that, Aiko," Haruhi apologized, guiding the dizzy brunette over to a chair. "I didn't think he'd get _that_ excited."

"N-no problem...it's okay-y, Har-ruhi," Aiko said, blinking hard.

The twins were kneeling next to their boss, poking his lifeless body and snickering away. "I think you finally killed him, Haruhi," Hikaru called over.

"Good," came the immediate answer.

_"Haruhi, how could you say something so mean to your father?"_ Tamaki sobbed as he jumped up. Stabbing an accusatory finger in Haruhi's direction, he continued, _"I was only trying to welcome our guest, is that so awful you had to throw me off?"_

"Nope, he's good," the twins corrected themselves.

Haruhi shot a glare over her shoulder, causing the blond king to gulp in fear. "You were practically smothering her, senpai. Aiko isn't a real hugging person, and you should respect that."

"If that's so—"

"—then how is she friends with Honey-senpai?"

"That guy gives out more hugs than an American granny."

"That's not true," Kyoya argued from his spot at the table. "Honey-senpai has taken into consideration Aiko's obvious dislike of physical interaction, so he's toned down the hugs for her sake. Instead, he just greets her a bit more enthusiastically."

Hikaru and Kaoru shared a look. "That sounds worse than just taking the hugs."

Tamaki was still pouting at Haruhi, who in turn continued scolding him, as Aiko finally came to her senses. She looked at them with vague interest for a moment before looking around at the Music Room again.

It hadn't changed in the three weeks she'd been avoiding it; which really, shouldn't have been so surprising. On the walk there, the twins had explained to Aiko that they weren't having a cosplay that day, which was a relief. Aiko wondered if she'd be able to deal with a cosplayed Host Club easier than the real thing.

She glanced over at Haruhi and Tamaki and amended her thought. _No, probably not._

"Tama-chan! We're here!" came the familiar cheerful voice of Honey. He and Mori walked in, both bags tucked under the latter's arm. "Sorry, we're a little late, but we couldn't find Aiko-chan anywhere."

The twins whistled innocently as Haruhi stopped arguing with Tamaki long enough to shoot a glare at them. "You mean you didn't even bother texting Honey-senpai?"

"Hey, you can't expect us to remember everything around here."

Honey blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about, Haru-chan? Text me what?" Then his gaze strayed over a bit to the left and he visibly grew even more excited. "Aiko-chan!"

And he bounded over in a very similar way that Tamaki had and threw his arms around Aiko's neck. This time, however, she'd been ready and managed to wrap her arms around him as well. It was the first time she'd ever hugged him back, therefore making him the first person in nearly five years she'd hugged besides her father and maid.

Though Honey didn't know that. He was just happy to see his friend.

"Honey-senpai," Aiko said, a bit breathless. "Um-m...hello."

Releasing her from his grip, Honey dropped to the floor with a large grin on his face. "Have you come to visit the Host club, Aiko-chan?" he asked as Mori came up behind him. The pink flowers floating around his head seemed to have grown in size.

Aiko blinked before answering, nodding shyly. "Y-Yes, senpai. It's the on-n-nly way Hikaru and Kaoru could have time to tutor m-me."

"Oh, I see. But you're still here, so I'm happy!" He giggled, turning to Mori. "Aren't you happy Aiko-chan came to visit us, Takashi?"

All eyes were immediately on the dark-haired, ever silent senior. Mori looked from Honey to Aiko (who was pink in the face and wouldn't really meet his gaze) and a small smile formed. One large hand lifted and came to rest on top of Aiko's head, ruffling her hair.

"Yeah."

Aiko ducked her head to hide her red face.

Tamaki watched them with a gentle smile, having calmed down enough to appreciate the tender moment. He cleared his throat. "Aiko-hime...um, _Aiko_," he corrected himself quickly, "as you can see we're all happy you could come to our humble club, no matter the reason."

"Y-Yes..." she murmured, still blushing.

A smooth voice came from behind Aiko. "Well, since you're here early, Aiko, I see no reason we shouldn't schedule your host now." She turned around, and Kyoya gave her a polite smile. His little black notebook was open and his pen was ready. "Unless you have any objections?"

Quickly, she shook her head. It might have been a sixth sense, but Aiko felt like saying no to someone like Kyoya wouldn't end well for her, or anyone.

"Excellent, now—"

"Oh, oh, oh!" Honey interrupted the vice-president. He was waving his hand in the air eagerly, even jumping up and down in place. It looked like a small child asking to go to the bathroom during class time. "Pick me Aiko-chan, pick me! Or Takashi! That way we can spend the entire time together. We can have more cake, and it'll be just like having lunch, huh?"

Aiko opened her mouth to respond; however, Kyoya beat her to it. "I'm sorry, Honey-senpai, but both you and Mori are booked for the day."

The blond senior fell into a depressed state, tears filling up his eyes. Aiko felt extremely guilty, even though it wasn't her fault at all.

"Sorry, senpai," Hikaru chimed in, sliding up next to Aiko. She thought he didn't sound particularly apologetic. He threw an arm around her shoulder, ignoring Tamaki's angry tones in the background. "But I think it's better this way, really—"

"—since we're going to be tutoring her right after club is over," Kaoru added from her other side. "It just makes sense that she come to us."

Again, Kyoya shot that idea down before Aiko had the chance to comment. "Actually, Kaoru, Hikaru, you're both booked as well."

The twins gave their senior disbelieving stares._"What?!"_

"Unfortunately, yes." The way he said it made it seem like he didn't think it was that unfortunate.

"Well, she definitely can't go with Tama-chan," Honey supplied.

Hikaru snorted. "Yeah. She'd have had to arrange her time with him four weeks ago."

"Plus, I'm pretty sure Boss's perverted ways would just scare her away again."

_"And what right do you two devil twins have __to call me a pervert? I am no such thing!" _shouted a fuming Tamaki. Aiko turned her eyes towards the floor as she went red at Kaoru's words.

Kyoya adjusted his glasses, effectively catching the light against the frames. "Which leaves only Haruhi and myself."

"_Aw, but that's not fair_," Hikaru, Kaoru, and even Honey complained.

"S-s-sorry..." Aiko apologized again.

"Don't apologize, dummy," Hikaru told her. "It's not like any of this is your fault to begin with."

"Well?" Kyoya looked at Aiko, pen ready to write. "Who will you be designating?"

* * *

"More tea, Aiko?"

Looking up from the table, Aiko gave Haruhi a small smile. "Um...I think I'm f-f-fine for now. Thank y-you."

Haruhi gave her an indiscernible look before nodding and replacing the tea-pot. "If you're sure. It's just you haven't really touched anything since club hours began. Are you feeling alright?"

The other girls sitting around the table, Mineko Kamisaka and two others whose names Aiko couldn't remember, turned their gazes upon her. They showed a slight concern for their fellow student's well-being, which caused Aiko to turn pink. She was never one to be center of attention for anything.

"N-No, I feel f-fine. Really," she assured the others. Beneath the table her fingers fiddled with the table cloth, trying to keep them from wrinkling her dress.

In reality, Aiko felt physically sound, if a bit peckish. It was the mental stability that wasn't really within her grasp. Several times, when the guests switched out for fresh faces, Aiko had to force herself to keep down the anxiety that each change brought. The same questions rattled around in her mind no matter how many times it happened.

_Are they going to not like me? Should I have told them I really couldn't come? God, I hope I don't look like I'm monopolizing all of Haruhi's time._

Over and over and over again. Of course, those worries never made it past her lips; she wouldn't want to cause a scene just because of her frayed nerves. Everyone seemed to be having a good time (even the girls who shared Haruhi's table with her) without needing to be burdened with Aiko's pointless anxiety. And all the girls so far had been nice, greeting her politely when they sat down. It was mostly second and first years, though the odd third year would present themselves. Some faces she recognized; mostly, Aiko just sat silently, speaking only when directly spoken to.

As the conversation (thankfully) strayed away from her and to something else, Aiko allowed her gaze to slide over the room, taking in many things at once.

Tamaki and his group sat around a set of love seats, which was where the majority of frequent giggles and swoons seemed to originate. Several times Aiko could have sworn she saw the hearts popping into the eyes of the girl who Tamaki shamelessly flattered, though she wouldn't go as far as Kaoru and say that he was being perverted. Aiko's face grew red just thinking about the comment, and she quickly averted her eyes to the next host.

Across the room from where Aiko was sitting, Kyoya had his own guests to entertain. She couldn't hear what he was explaining to them, but it must have been rather fascinating because none of the girls looked bored. In fact, they looked rather entranced.

It was...well, not a _surprise_ that Kyoya had his own admirers. He was very handsome, charming, and above all just a real gentleman. Aiko could see why so many girls liked to choose him. But that didn't deter the fact that sometimes Kyoya could be a bit _too_ polite; so much so that it was intimidating, almost frighteningly so. Aiko wasn't afraid of Kyoya, per see, so far as she knew him — but she _did_ have a very great respect of not angering him.

Honey's cheerful giggle drew Aiko's attention his way, and she couldn't help but smile softly. He and his guests seemed to get along very well, and it wasn't hard to see why: Honey was very attentive to their needs, making sure each one was involved in the conversation. Questions were asked, compliments given, cake offered. Mori, too, seemed very observant of his customers, seeming to know what they needed before they could speak. Some of them told him stories or asked him questions, to which he would answer with a nod or shake of his head, a grunt here and there. Very rarely did he ever speak, and even then usually no more than five words.

The guests that were too shy to speak directly to Mori would often just listen to Honey's stories, which neither host seemed to mind. As close as they were, it wasn't a surprise that they even shared the area where they hosted girls. Honey surely talked enough for the both of them.

Aiko's eyes then traveled to the hosts that were seated closest to her table, just a few feet to the right and around a pillar.

Kaoru was currently regaling a rather intricate tale about him and Hikaru pranking their great-aunt Wu at the last gala they attended. Hikaru interjected several funny comments, making the girls laugh heartily.

"And then you should've seen Kaoru's face when the punch accidentally got all over his pants—"

"Hikaru!"

"It looked like he'd peed his pants!"

"_Hikaru_," Kaoru insisted, turning his face away in embarrassment. Aiko watched with furrowed brows. "You can't just tell them stories about me like that. It's embarrassing."

And right before her eyes, Aiko saw Hikaru take his brother's face into his hands, gently turning his head so that they were nearly nose to nose. "Oh, Kaoru, I'm so sorry. Could you ever forgive me for being such a horrible brother?"

"Hikaru..."

_"It's so amazing I might cry! Their brotherly love is so strong!" _several of the girls squealed.

"Aiko?"

Realizing that she'd been staring (with an expression of what, she had no idea) and not paying any attention to Haruhi and the others, Aiko jerked her focus back. A furious flush colored her pale cheeks. The girls and Haruhi gave her curious looks. "I'm-m...sorry, I w-was just..." she tried to explain.

Thankfully, Haruhi seemed to understood where her attention had previously been. He offered an easy smile. "No, it's fine. I know it's a little strange seeing Hikaru and Kaoru act like that for the first time; I went through the same thing. You'll get used to it eventually."

"But..." She struggled to put the words out. "They n-never act like that during school, s-so I w-w-was just...a little...um..."

He nodded in understanding. "It's called the "brotherly love package," and they've always done it since they first joined. It's a real hit with most of their customers, so they just keep doing it. Something about them being twins makes it better." When Aiko still looked like she might resemble a stop-light, Haruhi laughed lightly. "It's weird, I know. But they only do it during club hours, so you don't have to worry."

Aiko finally nodded, taking a sip of her tea for something to do. She was a little scared to look back over at the twins, so she refocused on the conversation that had gone on while her focus was elsewhere.

"So, Haruhi-kun," Kamisaka said, "I understand that you were going to try to visit your mother's grave soon. Would it be alright if I brought some food for you to bring to her?"

Well, that certainly got Aiko's attention. Haruhi just smiled politely at Kamisaka, nodding. "Yes, I was. And I'm sure she'll like that very much — it's so nice of you to offer."

The other girls immediately offered some of their own food to bring while Kamisaka swooned in her seat. Their words were lost on Aiko, for she was still caught up on this new revelation.

"Haruhi." The brunette host turned his attention towards Aiko. "Y-Your mother...she's dead?"

A sort of bittersweet light entered his eyes, but he didn't look upset that she'd brought it up. "Yeah, she died when I was still a little kid. I don't remember very much about her, except that she always loved to cook. That's why when I visit her grave, I try to bring a new dish every time."

Something in Aiko's face must have interested him, for Haruhi stared at her intently. "Um, are you alright, Aiko?"

"Yes..." she answered softly. "I w-was just a little...surprised, I guess. My m-mother...she passed away more r-r-recently."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Aiko," Haruhi told her. And indeed, he did look sympathetic — but not out of pity, as so many others usually did. No, his sympathy was stemming from the fact that his mother was also unable to offer him a warm hug when he returned from school. "I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."

That brought out a very tiny smile. "No, n-nothing like that." _I bring bad memories up all by myself. I don't have to worry about anyone else doing so. _"It was j-j-just unexpected."

Haruhi seemed relieved to know he hadn't made her upset. "Good. If you don't mind me asking, how long ago did she die?"

"About...s-s-seven years ago," Aiko supplied. It still shocked her that it'd been so long ago since she'd last heard her mother's voice; touched her hand; smelt the subtle perfume Kokoro had loved so much. A large lump lodged itself in Aiko's throat. She swallowed thickly. "She got...v-very sick one day and n-never got better..."

"My mom passed the same way," Haruhi said, voice soft. "But at least you have so many memories of her you can cherish, right?"

Aiko gazed at him. There wasn't an ounce of jealousy or bitterness in his expression or tone, nothing to hint that he wished his Aiko would have had it worse than he in the memories department. She couldn't say the same for herself.

_It must be better to have as little memories as possible_, she thought. _Less pain when you realize they'll only ever be memories from now on. A lot less pain when you wake up crying after your mother's funeral, and only have you father's arms to comfort you. Less pain to deal with when kids at school tease you because your mother 'died so she wouldn't have to be so disappointed in her child.' Kids can be so mean, sometimes._

But Aiko would never dare say such things out loud because she knew what the response would be. Anger. Disappointment. Because she knew that where she wished she had less memories, other children wished for more. Just a few. Even she was starting to forget the sound of her mother's voice after so long.

"W-Would it be alr-r-right if _I_ brought some f-f-ood as well?"

Haruhi blinked at the offer before smiling. "Of course. I'm sure Mother will be happy to have it. I'll make sure to ask about your mother when I visit the grave."

Aiko felt her lips turn up at the corners. "Thank you..."

A sniff from across the table alerted Aiko to the fact that they had an audience. She almost squeaked in surprise when she saw the girls at her table sniffling — along with the group that had surrounded their table, including Tamaki, Honey, Mori, and the twins. All but Mori seemed to be fighting back tears, tissues in hand.

While Aiko tried to hide under the table, Haruhi just stared blankly at the congregation. "Senpai? What're you guys doing?"

"Well, Haruhi," the Host Club King answered tearfully. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, and...it was just so tragic..."

"Very touching," the twins agreed, burying their faces into their tissues.

"We had no idea, Aiko-chan!" Honey sobbed, throwing himself into her lap. "We're sorry!"

Hikaru and Kaoru squished themselves into her sides, nuzzling the top of her head in what was supposed to be comfort. "We've been so insensitive to you, not even asking! What kind of friends do such a thing?"

Already overwhelmed, Aiko just looked over at Mori, who was holding out a tissue for her. "Sorry," he rumbled.

While the other hosts and their guests sniffled and fawned over a flustered, tomato-red Aiko, Haruhi simply watched them all with a less-than-pleased expression on her face. _These damn rich people will fall for any sob story they hear, won't they? And how could senpai have heard us talking from all the way over there, anyway? He must have spied again._

Sighing heavily, Haruhi felt a vein at her temple beginning to throb in irritation. _They just can't be quiet for anything._

* * *

Somehow, Haruhi was able to get Aiko free of the twins and Honey, for which Aiko was grateful. It still took some time for her face to cool down, however; the fact that a great number of the guests and hosts continued to send her tearful looks didn't help either.

_I thought only Haruhi and the other girls at the table were paying attention to me_, she thought to herself. _I wasn't expecting to make such a statement in front of everyone._

And it wasn't as though Aiko felt ashamed that they'd learned something so personal about her. It certainly saved her from having to explain things in the future, that was for sure. It all just came out a lot sooner than she'd expected — and their reactions weren't what she'd assumed they'd be, either.

_The kids at my private school had mocked me, said awful things about myself and my mother. Not one of them felt any remorse or sympathy; it was just like a game to them. See who could make Aiko cry the most. Kids could indeed be cruel._

Despite the slightly darker route her thoughts decided to take, the rest of the time Aiko spent in the Host Club was oddly...enjoyable. Though she continued to only speak until spoken to, the conversations she heard were interesting, more often amusing depending on who it came from (the twins being the closest hosts meant Aiko could usually hear their tales of jokes and pranks gone wrong), and she found herself smiling unconsciously; her eyes just a bit brighter, shoulders just a bit more relaxed. It was the strangest feeling.

_But...it's a nice one, too._

It was so nice that Aiko hardly noticed time slipping by until the last group of girls left the table, and none filled their places again.

Blinking stupidly, she watched as the hosts saw the last girl out of the music room, the door closing with a final _thud_.

"Great job today everyone!" Tamaki announced in his usual boisterous manner. "The ladies seemed to have a specially good time today. Let's keep up the good work to tomorrow!"

Hikaru, Kaoru, Honey, and Mori all brought their hands up in a salute, the former three also adding, "Yes, sir!"

"It's...over?"

Seven pairs of eyes rounded on Aiko, having walked over while they'd been rounding up the last of the guests.

"Well, yeah, dummy," Hikaru voiced, arching a brow at her. "Club time is over."

_Has it really been so long?_ Aiko wondered, tilting her head to the side a bit. _We got here right after school...and it's been a while since I checked the time._

A hand tugged at Aiko's sleeve. Looking down, she saw Honey giving her a cheeky grin. "Did you lose track of time, Aiko-chan?"

"Um...I guess s-so," she admitted.

Tamaki slid into view, surrounded by rose petals and twinkling lights. Aiko blinked at him. "Well, you all know what they say," he informed them, "time does fly when you're having fun. Isn't that right, Aiko?" The smile he gave her looked downright smug, which caused Aiko to blush and look away, suddenly sheepish.

Hikaru and Kaoru put their head closer together, hiding their mouths behind their hands as they spoke, whispering loud enough for everyone to hear — which was obviously the plan.

"Did you hear that?"

"Aiko actually had fun at the Host Club—"

"—what a truly shocking turn of events."

"And she even said so herself that she wouldn't have fun here."

"That's okay, Aiko-chan," Honey said, speaking over the twins. His smile softened as their eyes locked. "It's good that you had fun. You don't get to have too much of that. And next time you come, we'll have even more fun, okay?"

Honey's smile was infective, for it brought out Aiko's own smile, albeit a smaller one. "Y-Yeah...okay."

* * *

It wasn't long afterward that, per the twins' insistence, the others left, leaving Aiko alone with her tutors. She was surprised to find that she wasn't as nervous this time around; but that could be because they weren't at _her_ house. The music room was something like neutral territory.

It could also be the fact that both Aiko and the twins understood how to handle the problem of her lacking math skills. The time it took for her to finish a single problem had dwindled down to around a minute, which was vastly better than her earlier three to five-minute struggle.

Hikaru was much calmer as well, for she didn't make the same mistakes over and over again. And both twins seemed to find a sort of fascination in the small designs Aiko drew as she worked each problem out in her special way; often there would be some "ooh's" and "aah's" with each drawing she finished.

Now, that wasn't to say that she managed to get every problem right — Aiko still made many pointless mistakes here and there (which still managed to get Hikaru frustrated, though he hid it well enough) and there some problems she just didn't know how to transfer the data into a model design — but it was progress. The mistakes weren't consistent, and hardly ever the same thing in a row.

Due to this, they managed to finish the tutoring session in a fraction of the time it had previously taken, which was quite a bit. Within the last ten minutes, the twins gave Aiko a quick mock-test to judge how well she could do on the test the next day.

She waited anxiously in her chair, biting her lip as they looked over her answers. Sometimes they'd mumble to each other before jotting something down; the action made Aiko picture Kyoya and his little black book.

Finally, Hikaru and Kaoru looked up from her paper and gave Aiko a long stare. They weren't smiling. Aiko could feel her heart plummet into the pits of her stomach.

_I did horribly_, she rationalized. _Even with their help, I still failed the mock-up. Which means I'm bound to fail the _real _test tomorrow. And then I'll be bumped down to 1-B class...or even lower._

"Good job, Aiko."

"Looks like you're going to do just fine on the test tomorrow."

Kaoru handed her the papers, which Aiko took, more than a little confused. _Good job? But I thought..._

A big, bold, red _82_ stood out prominently against the white paper, along with a smiley face drawn off to the side. The words _You passed!_ was written at the top as well. Aiko seemed to have trouble breathing for a moment as she stared, wide-eyed and shocked.

"I...I passed?" she whispered.

"Well, it says it on the paper, doesn't it?" Hikaru noted, smirking.

Aiko nodded her head silently.

Kaoru grinned. "She's so excited she's speechless, Hikaru. That's so cute."

Then they both snickered as Aiko went red.

She stood, grabbing her phone from her bag. "I, um, n-need to call my dr-river," she murmured, before scurrying off a safe distance so that they couldn't see her delighted grin.

* * *

"Thank y-you again for helping m-m-me today," Aiko said for perhaps the seventh time since they exited the music room. Hikaru and Kaoru had gather up all of their things while Aiko was making her call, and left soon after, making their way to the front of the school in a comfortable silence.

Hikaru sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Is this going to be a thing you do every time we tutor you?" he questioned. "Because it gets old really quickly."

She blushed, trying to come up with a response that wouldn't make her seem lame. Well, lamer.

"The answer will always be the same, you know," Kaoru told her, turning his head so that she could see his smile. "You're our friend, Aiko, and we always help our friends when we can. So don't sweat it, okay?"

Aiko nodded, and they went back to their silence. They soon arrived at the front gate of the school, where Mako was already waiting. He opened the door silently as Aiko turned to the twins. "I know I s-shouldn't say it again...but thank y-you. I f-f-feel a lot better about the test tomorrow w-with your help, Hikaru, Kaoru."

They gave her matching grins, with an added thumbs-up. "Anytime. Just make sure you get lots of sleep tonight."

"I w-will." And then, before she could lose what little confidence she had, Aiko stepped forward and gave both twins a hug.

It was short — hardly more than a squeeze — but it was so unexpected that neither twin could make a smart comment when the girl's arms wrapped around them. Aiko pulled back just as quickly, her face tomato red once again. She gave a small bow before scrambling into the backseat of the limo and closing the door herself, not waiting for Mako to do so.

Hikaru and Kaoru just stared after the limo as it pulled off, eyes as big as saucers. Then they looked to each other. Kaoru recovered with a slight laugh. "So she's not the hugging type, huh?"

Hikaru glanced away, shoving both hands into his pockets with a grunt. They both knew that Kaoru wasn't laughing at the situation, but at the pink blush that had infused Hikaru's cheeks.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER TWELVE

Whoop! I quite liked writing this chapter, if you couldn't tell - I broke out of my slump to write nearly 7k for you guys! You should be thanking some divine force for this chapter, honestly, and the fact that I finished it just as school started. Ah, just typing that makes me depressed again. *insert sad face here*

_But on to reviews~_

* * *

**Kang Mina: **_I love love love this story *sings Love Love Love by Exo* Aiko is always so cute! And Hikaru is so... I just love him so much!_

Your reviews always make me so happy UwU I'm glad you love reading it as much as I love writing it! Ha, Hikaru is my grumpy puppy for this series, okay, you don't even know. I always pick out a grumpy puppy character for some reason and make them my favorite. Thanks for your review, sweetie!

* * *

**PandaDerper: **_I'm giving you an imaginary cake and high five for this awesome story. I couldn't help but want to melt into the wall like Aiko. They make it very known. The Host Club I mean. xD_

Yay! Cake and high-fives! *accepts both* You're too adorable, really. Yes, we all know the members of the Host Club can be just a _bit_ over dramatic at times. Thank you for reviewing!

* * *

**Jewlesy426: **_NOOOO! Sorry, but I'm kind of a huge Mitsukuni fan and I kind of wanted it to be something a little more... Oh well! Still a great story, can't wait to see who she ends up with and love seeing her come out of her shell. Hey, but please add in a LITTLE more Honey! For me! PWEEAASEE! *makes adorable face that you hopefully can't deny*_

_Anyway, sorry that my personal love of Honey got in the review there...Maybe to obsessed for my own good. Also, for Aiko, I think the stuttering isn't too much at all! I think that maybe as she gets more comfortable with the Hosts, the stuttering will come down a bit more. Just please don't make it so she just stops stuttering all together at one point, I really think that makes her more cute. Also, please make the stuttering come down gradually, really don't want to see it appear and disappear. Thanks SOO much for writing, those emails bring so much happiness to my week. Ciao!_

Oh no, you've found my weakness! It's adorable faces! xD Haha, don't worry, though, I always love writing out fluffy AikoxHoney scenes because they just get along so well, and they're both adorable. But I'm sure if you, like, _squint really hard_, you could see some real AikoxHoney in a romantic type way? I hadn't even known I'd been writing them in a way that would make people guess that, really, haha.

You're so smart, you've seen through basically part of the entire plot of this story. Eventually, yes, with the more time Aiko spends with our beloved Host Club, she'll start coming out of her shell, be more confident in herself, be more assertive in the things she wants and how to get them, but not so much that she'll lose her cute innocence, of course. She'll just grow to be stronger, with help from all the hosts along the way. And don't worry, I'm afraid (but not sorry) to say that the stutter will always be apart of Aiko. Just not so much in the coming years! I'm so glad I'm able to make you so happy with my updates! Thank you so much for your review!

* * *

**Gottaloveastory: **_Great chapter as always, and though I didn't have much time to read it thoroughly, I enjoyed it. Your grammar is WAY better then mine, and I look forward to your next update._

Well, I hope this chapter was up to your standards! And hopefully you'll have time to read through it more thoroughly this time! Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

Not as many reviews this chapter, sadly, but we still got questions for Aiko!

Aiko: Really?

Of course silly! The readers lover you!

Aiko: *blushes* Oh...thank y-you

Okay first question is from **Kang Mina: **_Aiko, do you like fish? (I know it's random, but I'm watching Finding Nemo right now, lol)_

Random or not, thanks for asking it!

Aiko: Well, I s-suppose so. Fish is very healthy f-for you, and much healthier than beef or chicken.

Well said my dear, well said.

* * *

**Jewelsy426: **_P.S. Hey Aiko, besides all the things mentioned, what do you do in your free time? What is your favorite book?(Looking for some new good ones! Any you would recommend to me?) Thanks!_

Aiko: Um, sorry, but I haven't r-read many books in a while. I _do_ like to read if-f it's an interesting book, though. M-Mostly fantasy and adv-v-venture books. But I also like to design buildings in m-my sketchbook, m-more recently I've been playing on the piano again. Or going out to our stables and taking my horse f-for a ride.

Oh, dear, I'm sorry, but if I tried to list all of the books I could recommend to you, this author's note would be much, _much_ longer xD. I'd be more than happy if you could PM me some of your preferences with books and I'll give you some that I've enjoyed reading or have heard about!

* * *

**Gottaloveastory: **_Aiko, what do you like about music?_

Aiko: *goes deep into thought* W-Well...my mother would of-ften tell me that m-music is like the extension of on-n-ne's own soul. And whenever a composer creates even the s-simplest note, it's really a piece of their s-soul that they're sharing with y-you. I never r-really understood what that meant until a f-few years ago, after my m-m-mom died...but it still sticks with me. And I guess that's what I alw-ways liked about music. The fact that y-you could pour all of you into it, n-no matter if it was good or bad, and in the end...you j-just feel f-f-free.

Gosh, that was beautiful *weeping* You're adorable _and_ deep.

* * *

So, that's it for this update, guys! Oh, and before I forget, if you want to see what Aiko looks like, you can go onto my profile and copy the link there! It'll take you to my sketch dumpings on tumblr c: Just warning you now, I'm a real sucky artist, so if my sketches disappoint y'all, I'm sorry. Until next week!

Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!


	13. The Second Test

A/N: Wow. Just...wow. It's been _weeks_ since I've updated (no thanks to school), and I squeeze out this measly little chapter for you guys. Man. I'm so, so, _so_ sorry. And yet, I can't promise it won't happen again. Because school sucks _just that much._

__Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters, places, and events are _not_ mine. They all belong to the creator, the very wonderful and talented Bisco Hatori! This piece of fiction does not profit from anyone and I do not receive anything but happiness that my fic might be read by y'all.__

* * *

THIRTEEN

Chimes rang throughout the grounds of Ouran, signaling the end of another class period. Conversations rose up between students as they exited classrooms and flooded the hallways on their way to the last period of the day. Aiko followed suit, along with her recently self-appointed bodyguards. For the quartet, the last period of the day happened to be math class, which meant—

"Are you ready for the test, Aiko?" Haruhi questioned his charge.

Aiko glanced up from her feet (her preferred method of avoiding the strange looks from her fellow classmates at the twins' overzealous shenanigans) just in time for Kaoru to glance back, affronted. "Why would you ask such a thing, Haruhi? Do you have no sense of loyalty?"

"Yeah," his brother added. "Is your faith in our ability as capable tutors nonexistent?"

"You wound us."

Haruhi rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying anything like that. But no matter how prepared someone is, it's only a natural response to get a little nervous for a test. Which is exactly why I was asking _Aiko_, not you guys."

The twins huffed, turning around to resume their bodyguard positions. Haruhi gave a frazzled sigh before returning his attention to a pink-faced Aiko. "Sorry about that. I didn't think they'd get in the middle of things like that."

"N-No, it's alright," Aiko assured him. Already, she was beginning to grow desensitized to the twins' interferences. It was admirable in a way, if self-righteous. "But to answer your question...I'm not r-really sure."

"What do you mean by that?" Haruhi wondered.

Aiko pressed her lips together, contemplating how she could word an emotion she had no name for. She assessed herself as they walked into the classroom: there was definitely some anxiety, no doubt. _That_ felt like a mass of tar sitting within the pit of her stomach, bubbling with uncertainty. But despite that, she felt...calm. Tranquil, even. And the only way she could explain it was the fact the twins had worked with her as much as they could, tried to instill her with as much information she could hold without combusting. They felt she was prepared, and for once, Aiko felt inclined to agree with them.

The feeling had presented itself to Aiko around lunchtime when Honey had been going on about something, but she hadn't been paying attention. At first she thought she'd just had a bad piece of egg roll, but that was highly unlikely. It was the most peculiar sensation: physically, she could sense the pressure mounting on her shoulders; mentally, Aiko was cool as a cucumber.

Very peculiar indeed.

She opened her mouth to try to explain this to Haruhi, but the twins spoke over her.

"Aiko," Kaoru said. His expression was oddly serious, as was Hikaru's. They looked at her intently. "You know everything that's going to be on this test. We might be a lot of things, but we're pretty good tutors, too."

"And don't worry about the time," Hikaru instructed, dropping a hand to her shoulder. He steered her over to her desk. "You'll be finished before you know it."

"Don't freak out, okay? Just do your trick, and it'll be easier than you expect."

"You'll do great!"

The chimes rang once more, and Mr. Okanawa entered the room, closing the door behind him. "Class, take your seats while I get your tests ready. No talking."

The twins offered one last whisper of confidence: "Stay calm, don't look at the clock, and trust us. You'll pass. Okay?" They each gave her a grin and a pat to the head before walking to their own desks.

Aiko blinked several times. It was surreal, to have so much faith put in her like that. Honestly, making sure the twins were proud of her made Aiko more nervous than the thought of the test itself. Haruhi patted Aiko's arm reassuringly. "We all think you'll do just fine, Aiko. Good luck." And then he, too, went to sit at his desk.

Pink in the face, Aiko sat in her own chair with a delicate sigh.

* * *

"Alright, everyone. Tests are being passed out — eyes on your own paper, no talking. Good luck."

Mr. Okanawa's stern voice reverberated inside Aiko's head as she clutched her pencil. She didn't dare to lift her eyes from her desk, but the feeling that he'd glanced her way as he said the last part was strong. There would be no way she'd hold her composure if their gazes had met.

The test slid on her desk; Aiko took a deep breath.

_You'll do great!_

_ Just do your trick, and it'll be easier than you expect._

Hikaru and Kaoru's words came back to her and gave her the burst of confidence she desperately needed. If they believed in her, she wouldn't let them down.

_They've worked really hard to help me. _Aiko wrote her name at the top of the paper. _I can't let them think it was a waste of time — I _am _going to pass this test._

With that encouraging thought in mind, Aiko allowed her eyes to skim over the first section of the test. Multiple choice. Those were answered quickly, only two really giving her some trouble. The next section wasn't as smooth sailing: word problems.

She chewed on her bottom lip as she read the first problem.

_Okay...so I put this number as the angle of the arch in relation to the supporting columns. Not too difficult. _Aiko's pencil flit over a small section of her scratch work paper. _And then this part...would be used as the curve..._

Aiko stared down at her miniature model design. The numbers began to click into place, and a light bulb went off in her head. There was the answer, plain as day.

_That took...a lot less time than I thought it would._

Aiko shook her head. Don't pay attention to the time, that's what Hikaru had told her. Writing down the answer on her test, she moved on to the next question.

The twins, of course, finished sooner than anyone else in the class. Aiko's gaze met theirs as they walked back to their desks; Hikaru shot her quick grin while Kaoru gave a thumbs-up and a wink. She offered a small smile before they walked out of her line of sight.

She wasn't that far behind them. Whereas last time they'd finished before she'd even gotten past the first section, Aiko had at least half of the test done, with only two problems to return to. Something very similar to pride started worming its way into her chest — but for the moment, she pushed it aside and refocused on the test before her.

* * *

Other students began to stand and turn in their tests as time wore on, a few minutes in between each. Haruhi had finished almost directly after the twins, and he also gave a sign of encouragement as he passed by her desk.

_Don't look at the clock_, Aiko reminded herself for perhaps the umpteenth time. _I'm doing fine. I've got plenty of time. I can do this._

It was with that thought in mind that she diligently kept her nose down and merely glanced up passively with each squeal of the chair being pushed back as another person finished. A good thing, too, since it kept her from seeing the heated glares Nijimi repeatedly sent her way — as well as the twins' smug looks because of the glares.

_So I just write this one right here...and I should have the answer. _Aiko allowed herself a small smile as she wrote the answer in the space below the problem. Her eyes scanned down the paper. _Alright. Next one..._

She blinked. There _was_ no 'next problem.'

Aiko had finished her test. And — for the first time all period, she looked up at the clock — they still had close to twenty minutes before class ended. She'd finished an easy fifteen minutes from last time, a huge improvement if there ever was one.

Aiko glanced down at her test. _I should probably go turn this in..._

The chair gave a loud, obnoxious squeal as Aiko pushed back from her desk and stood, test in hand. At once, all eyes were on her — the very _last_ thing she wanted. She didn't dare to meet their gazes, and simply focused on the stack of tests she picked up and handed to Mr. Okanawa. Her footsteps echoed across the floor; the intensity of Nijimi's glare burned the back of Aiko's head.

"Now that everyone's test is turned in in, I'll allow you to talk among yourselves for the rest of class. But please do so _quietly_," Mr. Okanawa stated as her got out his grading pen.

As soon as his hand flipped over the first test — Aiko's test, though she tried not to dwell on it — the majority of the class picked up their conversations from earlier as if nothing had interrupted them. Aiko knew now without looking that Haruhi and the twins would appear around her desk quicker than she could think—

"See?" came Hikaru's smug voice from her right shoulder. Aiko glanced up at him and Kaoru; both looked overjoyed at the idea that they'd been right. Of what, she didn't know. Hikaru continued on. "Didn't we promise you'd do fine on the test?"

"You got so worked up over nothing; just as usual, I suppose," Kaoru added, tugging on a strand of Aiko's hair.

Haruhi watched on in amusement as Aiko tried to defend herself (unsuccessfully) against the twins' teasing. She didn't seem as flustered with their banter as usual, and Haruhi could point a guess at what it was; she knew that the twins could see it, too. There was a new light in Aiko's eyes, a hidden pride they all felt she deserved.

* * *

Once the last bell of the day rang, Mr. Okanawa stationed himself next to the door, handing out tests to students as they passed. He'd managed to grade all the tests in the last fifteen minutes of class, a truly admirable feat in Aiko's eyes. She was the last one to leave the room, and he met her eyes at the door, her paper held out.

"Mrs. Nakamura."

He gave no sign as to what her grade could be. Swallowing the lump lodged in her throat, Aiko took the paper and flipped it over.

Mr. Okanawa flashed a tiny, yet no less proud, smile. "Congratulations, Mrs. Nakamura. I expect at least a 90 next time. Whatever it is you're doing, it's definitely working. Have a nice weekend."

Nodding dumbly, Aiko didn't even notice as he walked back to his desk. Her feet moved on their own, carrying her into the hallway where Haruhi and the twins waited with expectant looks.

"We heard what he said," Haruhi admitted. He didn't sound very sorry, and looked just as interested to know what Aiko got as the twins did. "You passed, right?"

Aiko blinked several times before handing her test over. Her lips didn't seem to work at the moment.

The trio hovered over the test paper in Haruhi's hand. Three pairs of eyes were drawn to the large 86 written in the top right corner in red ink.

_"Hooray!"_

Hikaru and Kaoru threw their arms up in celebration; confetti seemed to pop up from an unseen canon. They ensnared Aiko's arms between them and spun her around several times—reminiscent of a Honey-like fashion.

"Hooray for Aiko! Hooray, hooray! We told you you'd do great!"

"Guys!" Haruhi exclaimed, exasperated. "You can't just spin her around like that, she'll get dizzy!"

"Aw, Haruhi, we've gotta celebrate this," they complained, but stopped spinning Aiko. They left their arms draped around her shoulders, however. She just focused on trying to bring the world around her back to a standstill. "I know! We can bring her along to the Host Club today! The boss will know what to do, and Honey-senpai will be excited, too!"

"But we're not having club today, I thought?" Haruhi gave the twins a skeptical look. "Are you guys planning something without me?"

_"__Nooooooo."_

"Why would you think that, Haruhi?"

"Because it sounds exactly like something Tamaki-senpai would do."

"W-Wait."

Hikaru and Kaoru blinked down at Aiko, smug smiles dropping into curious looks. She looked flushed, but not totally out of embarrassment. As her breath came back to her, Aiko finished speaking. "I'm n-not going to be able to come to the host club...tod-day..."

_"What?"_ the twins demanded.

"Why not?"

"You came yesterday—"

"—and you even _admitted_ that you had fun, too."

Aiko attempted to get a word in. "Well, y-yes, but..."

"But what?" Hikaru snapped.

"Are you bored with us already?" Kaoru wondered aloud.

Aiko looked stricken. "N-No!" _What could make them think something silly like that?_

"Then what is it?" they both asked.

"I-I-It's just..." She took a deep breath, then continued in a calmer tone. "I w-was going to tell you earlier, but I...I have m-my own club activities tod-day that I need to do..."

Now they all looked bemused. Three host heads tilted to the side. "Huh?"

"I joined the library com-m-mittee today...officially," Aiko added.

Hikaru put up his hands in a "stop everything" gesture. "Hold up. You joined the _library _committee?"

"Do we even have one of those?" Kaoru asked his brother.

"Oh, for goodness' sake," Haruhi grumbled. He handed Aiko her test back. "_Yes_, Kaoru, we have a library committee. Not that I'd have expected wither of you to know about it." Those ig, doe-like eyes softened, making Haruhi appear even more feminine than usual. "I'm glad you've joined a club, Aiko. It'll give you the chance to make more friends."

Everyone missed the disgruntled scowl Hikaru made at the last part.

Aiko carefully placed her test into her bag, nodding. "I s-suppose so," she admitted. She'd actually turned her application in at the beginning of the week and been accepted basically on the spot. But seeing as there was already people supposed to work the next few days, Aiko was scheduled for a Friday shift. It was both frightening and exciting at the same time; her palms had already started perspiring.

"Well, good luck on your first day," Haruhi told her as he grabbed both twins and pulled them away from Aiko. They complained as the smaller host dragged them off in the opposite direction.

With a slight smile, Aiko raised a hand to wave at their retreating backs before turning and walking the other way.

* * *

Aiko made her way down the hall at a slower-than-usual pace, clutching the strap of her bag tightly. The closer her feet brought her to the library, the more she wanted to turn around and leave. Her heartbeat quickened until it felt like it would beat out of her chest.

It was...eerie, to say the least, being in the halls by herself, without the twins and Haruhi. There was so much extra space — literally and figuratively. Hikaru and Kaoru, especially, dominated every room they walked into with their bigger-than-life personalities. Haruhi acted almost like a support for Aiko, able to reel the twins back if need be. But he, too, could show a quick wit and passionate emotions if he was riled up.

It dawned on her that she didn't seem to have a boring moment any time she stepped on Ouran's immaculate grounds. Not only was there the twins and Haruhi that had suddenly popped up in her life, but the rest of the Host Club as well. There just seemed to be one thing after another when you associated with people like them.

Even more surprising, Aiko found she didn't mind all that much.

A few minutes later found her standing in front of the door to the library. Hesitating. Aiko shifted her weight from foot to foot, unable to help wondering if she'd made the right choice by joining this club. It had been the safest option out of all the various activities they offered at Ouran — the library, even at a rich school, was much quieter compared to other parts, and Aiko wouldn't be put on the spot too often. Just the odd student asking for a book; it seemed harmless enough. And if push came to shove, she could just ask one of her fellow committee members to help.

Even if Aiko wasn't an avid reader herself, she'd always enjoyed visits to libraries. The overall atmosphere was nice, even if she couldn't always describe it.

She waited outside the door so long that she didn't hear the soft tapping of footsteps heading her way until a familiar voice spoke up behind her.

"Are you waiting outside for any particular reason?"

Startled, Aiko spun around, hand grasping her chest. "O-Oh!" she squeaked. Then she froze, blinking at the person who'd spoken. A dim bell of recognition rang through her head.

Large ocher irises blinked right back, set high on a round face framed by dark red curls. When the girl tilted her head they bounced against her cheekbones. Her face had an openness that felt like the open pages of a book; right then, she seemed bemused.

"Do...I know you?" the girl asked, her low, sweet voice breaking the silence. "Your face seems familiar to me, though I can't remember why."

"Uh," Aiko stalled. She wanted to look away, but the sincerity in the girl's face drew her gaze in like a magnet. "Um, I m-mean—yes. Well, I d-doubt you'd remember, but...uh...I r-r-ran into you...or the other way around...but it w-was some time ago, so that's probably wh-why you don't remember..."

Realization dawned on her cherubic face. "Oh, now I remember!" Even when she raised her voice, it kept its subtle lilt, making it easy to hear, but did not vibrate enough to travel very far. "You were that nice girl who helped me pick up my things. I can't believe I could forget such a wonderful person."

Heat trailed up the back of Aiko's neck, pooling into her cheeks. Compliments were never something she could see herself growing used to. Not that she got them very often—or that she deserved the ones she got.

"W-W-Well...I w-wouldn't say it like that, exactly..." she mumbled sheepishly. The tip of her shoe scuffed the polished floor.

The girl smiled. "Nonsense. Not everyone would have bothered to stop and help. And I never really had the chance to thank you properly, anyway." She bowed from her waist. "Thank you very much for your help."

Aiko's scarlet face deepened to a dark red. Flustered and caught off guard by the genuine gratitude in the girl's voice, she bowed back, stammering, "N-No trouble at all! You're v-v-very welcome! Um—I'm Aiko N-N-Nakamura."

They both straightened, Aiko blushing right up to her ears. The other girl laughed slightly, though not unkindly. "My name is Emiko Arakida. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance under better circumstances, Nakamura-san."

* * *

As it turned out, Emiko was also part of the library committee, a third-year. Aiko was surprised at the last remark — Emiko certainly didn't _seem_ like your average third-year. Her soft-spoken demeanor and the mature way she carried herself made her seem much older; if she didn't wear the uniform of Ouran in all its yellow monstrosity, Aiko would have mistaken her for a university student volunteering at the school.

Her expression must have been deceiving in some way or another, for Emiko had smiled sheepishly and said, "You're thinking I don't look much like a third-year, right?" Aiko almost choked on her words as she hastily tried to amend her thoughts, but the other girl simply shook her head. "It's alright if you do. I get that a lot. It doesn't upset me anymore."

That's when they'd been intercepted by the president of the committee, a stern looking third-year girl called Jun. She was tall and had sharp features, mos prominent of which was her elongated nose. Despite her appearance, Jun was actually very kind when it came to her fellow club members — she reserved beady eyed stare for students who brought back overdue books.

"Oh, Nakamura-san, I see you've already become acquainted with Arakida. That's good. She can be your mentor until you start getting the hang of things around here." Jun turned towards Emiko. "See to it that she gets just an errand run today; we'll teach her how to stock shelves next week."

Both girls nodded, and Jun disappeared with one last, "Welcome to the committee," thrown over her shoulder at Aiko.

Not the most _welcoming_ of welcome committees, but it was better than being picked on — or just flat-out ignored.

And so, Aiko was saddled with a list of teachers' rooms to visit and shuttle books between them and the library. Emiko had said it was the easiest job within the commenting...once you got the cart. All newbies had to carry the books by hand back and forth until they'd gotten accepted completely into the club. She didn't seem like the type of person to lie straight to someone's face, either — but the strain in Aiko's shaking arm muscles said otherwise about the easiness level of the job.

Aiko had walked and carried more in that the last hour alone than she had in her entire life. Yumi would have to draw an ice-cold bath for her tonight to lessen the ache that was bound to come the next day.

_At least it's Friday_, she reminded herself. _I'll have the entire weekend to recuperate if need be._

If nothing else, the thought was reassuring.

The feeling didn't last very long — Aiko had just turned the corner when something with a lot of force bumped into her, causing the stack of books in her hands to teeter precariously. Aiko struggled to remain standing. The books stopped shaking; Aiko allowed herself a split-second of relief before the sound of something shattering against the floor spooked her, and the books tipped.

Aiko found herself sprawled on the ground, books lying across her legs and around her body in a haphazard mess. "Ow," she complained. Then she noticed the person that had run into her. The boy — she assumed he was a boy, considering he wore Ouran's male uniform — was sitting in a similar position, holding his head where it must have made painful contact with her books. His bright red hair fell forward, shielding his face from her view.

"Oh, m-my..." Aiko fretted. Moving her legs from underneath the books, she knelt in front of the boy, hands held out to help. But she hesitated. "Um...a-a-are you okay?"

_"EH?" _He lowered his hand from his face and Aiko nearly had a fainting spell. A cold breeze seemed to blow past her face. This guy had to have one of the most frightening faces she'd ever seen.

Backpedaling, Aiko struggled to get her apologies across fast enough. "I-I'm s-s-sorry...didn't m-m-mean to bother y-you..." She bowed her head repeatedly, almost like a tick. "Please excuse m-me..."

Just as she was about to tuck her tail between her legs and run, Aiko saw the remnants of a flower-pot scattered across the floor; the flower, a pretty tulip bud, sat in its clump of dirt, roots splayed at odd angles. She didn't dare meet the gaze of the young man across from her — which she needn't have worried about it, for he, too, refused to meet her eyes, face as red as his hair.

_He's...embarrassed. _That struck a chord in Aiko. Had she been the one in his position, there was no doubt in her mind that the other person would have blamed her, then angrily stormed off. _I can't let that happen here._

Without speaking, she began to rummage through the mess of books, looking for the paper that had her list. Aiko pulled it out from under a literature book and promptly set to work wrapping and folding, as if she were taking an origami class. Moments later, she presented the very confused young man with a misshapen, but stable paper flower-pot.

"Um...thanks." He took the makeshift pot from her hands, surprised.

Aiko picked at her fingers. "I-I-It's the least I could d-do. I'm s-so sorry for...well..." She looked helplessly around her at the mess they'd caused.

The guy seemed to notice what she was talking about for the first time, looking embarrassed once more. But now she was feeling a bit more reassured that he wasn't as mean as his face made him seem. He was actually kind of...awkward.

Aiko fidgeted, unsure of how to break the pregnant silence between them. "Um..."

Another loud, _"EEEEEEH?" _nearly sent Aiko cowering behind the corner. He might be an awkward person, but he was truly terrifying when he did stuff like that.

He seemed to collect himself. "Oh — sorry. I wasn't...lookin' where I was goin'."

Aiko swallowed back enough of her fear to speak. "I-It's okay. Everyone gets cl-lumsy sometimes..." Then before she lost the courage, she added, "Um...w-w-would you like s-some help? With you f-flower?"

"Ah. Sure, I guess." He was blushing again, but didn't stop her from scooping up the dirt and tulip bud and depositing it in the paper pot he held. "Thank you."

"Y-You're welcome," Aiko replied, wiping her hands. He really was an alright person once you got past his expression — until he got upset or embarrassed, at least. Now, with that problem out of the way, Aiko realized how behind in her deliveries she was. She immediately began stacking the books around her, smoothing out any folded pages. "I-I'm sorry again f-for running into you...b-but I really should go..."

A hand held out a book in Aiko's direction, making her pause and look up. The young man wasn't meeting her gaze, and he looked ready to deny any help she pushed on to him, but the action still touched her. She took the book with a tiny, appreciative smile.

The silence that fell between them as they retrieved the books wasn't as awkward as before.

Once the last book was stacked, Aiko turned towards the young man and bowed low. "Th-thank you very m-much for your help."

"Don't mention it," came the gruff reply. He rubbed the back of his neck as Aiko straightened. The intense features on his face coupled with the tiny tulip bud in hs other hand created an interesting image.

She didn't pry. Aiko bent to pick up her stack of books before turning back to him. "...I'm Aiko N-Nakamura...um. Pleased to m-m-meet you."

He looked at her face briefly before dropping his gaze. "Ritsu Kasanoda. Pleasure's...all mine."

They parted without another word, thought Aiko felt as though she'd just made one of the unlikeliest of acquaintances. _Well_, she mused, _Haruhi _did _mention that this was a new opportunity to make friends. Though somehow I doubt he could have pictured _this _happening._

* * *

END OF CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Whew! Hardly even 4.5k words and I am _bushed_. I blame school. But you can thank new music for managing to get me out of my funk long enough to finish this chapter for you guys!

_On to reviews~_

* * *

From the ever wonderful **Kang Mina: **_Yay! More Tamaki! He's such an idiot and I love him for it. :) And Hikaru blushed! I literally died reading that. Awesome chapter and awesome story! _

I'm pretty sure Tamaki has a spot in all our hearts for being such a lovable idiot, haha. YEs, Hikaru did indeed show _emotions_! *gasp* Amazing, right? Thank you so much for your review, sweet love!

* * *

**Bexreader: **_I was so excited to see that you updated! And now that I'm finished with this latest chapter I can hardly wait for the next. Great job!_

-cries into tissue- Thank you very much for saying so! And I must once again apologize profusely for leaving you without a new chapter for so long-I should be hung for my crime. Thanks for your review!

* * *

**Chibi-Ninja-Writer: **_*Sniffs* So kawaii! :(… Hey look, a new chapter! And I actually had time to read it! Again, great chapter, arigato for making my day, and Kon'nichiwa! (Soweird writing Japanese Romanji style._

Haha, I assume you're speaking of Aiko when you said "kawaii," so I'll just go ahead and say thank you! I should be thanking _you_ for taking the time to read my chapters at all! Arigato to you, and genki desu ka? (it's okay, it's weird typing Japanese at all, so you're good!) Thanks again for your review _and_ for introducing me to Hina-chan!

* * *

**Ariana98: **_Is her life going to get better at all? This story really depresses me._

I'm sorry to hear that you're not enjoying the story. Hopefully, since you reviewed at chapter two, you've read on since then and realized how much happier Aiko grows with each passing chapter.

* * *

_Now onto Aiko's questions~_

Aiko, come out and greet your lovely readers!

Aiko: *peeks out from behind author* Um...hi there.

You have questions, dear, stop hiding.

Aiko: From who?

Well, the first question is from **Kang Mina (bless your heart): **_Aiko, love, do you like Harry Potter? And if you do, who is your favorite character? (I love Sirius Black, because he's super legit and beautiful and amazing.)_

Aiko: Harry Potter...that's the book about the w-wizard boy, right?

Yes, it is! (One of the best books ever written, but that's just my opinion)

Aiko: Um, I've n-never read it before, so I d-d-don't have much of an opinion...I suppose that if I r-read the book, my f-f-favorite would be Harry, r-right?

There's a lot of complex characters in this book, so I can't say for sure Harry would be you _ultimate_ favorite, but I'm sure he'd be in Top 5 for you. My favorite would have to be a tie between Remus Lupin and Luna Lovegood because they're just so amazing in their own way, I could never choose between them!

* * *

**Chibi-Ninja-Writer: **_Aiko-san, what's one of your fondest childhood memories?_

Nice one, my friend.

Aiko: Hmm. I d-don't think I can choose just one. So...anything with my m-m-mother could count as an equally f-fond memory, I guess.

Nicely said, Aiko. Nicely said.

* * *

_And_ that wraps up this chapter, folks! Thanks for your reviews and questions, and for the new favorites and follows for this story. It means a lot to me, really. I get a huge smile on my face every time I get an email with a new follow/favorite/review. Hopefully, I can get the next chapter out _before_ next month. Doesn't look to good so far, but here's hoping!

Also, for anyone who hasn't done so, go on my profile and copy the link there. It'll take you to my tumblr page and my sketch dump of Aiko so you can get a feel for what she looks like! Apologies in advance, my artwork is not the best, but I try! And I'd never say no if someone drew their own version of our precious Aiko *winkwinknudgenudge*

Until next time, everyone! Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!


	14. Sunday Morning Surprises

A/N: I have no excuses to give you about my lateness because they'd all just sound really lame and fake. I blame laziness and writer's block, and that's about it. Enjoy this chapter, everyone~

__Ouran High School Host Club and all its characters, places, and events are _not_ mine. They all belong to the creator, the very wonderful and talented Bisco Hatori! This piece of fiction does not profit from anyone and I do not receive anything but happiness that my fic might be read by y'all.__

* * *

FOURTEEN

Dawn broke over the horizon, bathing the Nakamura estate in a pale golden light. The sparrows living in the many trees around the mansion itself sung a merry tune as they went about their business in the early day. The sun might've woken the sparrows from their slumber, but Manabu and his home's staff had beaten them all by a solid hour.

Manabu was dressed and clean shaven as he gathered the papers he'd need to get through the work day ahead. With several meetings to attend, three clients to meet with, and a letter to the Prime Minister of Great Britain to finish drafting, he was looking at another extended day — and he needed to finish it all before lunchtime. It was no wonder that, as he finally closed his overflowing (but orderly) briefcase, he allowed himself just a moment of rest. His weariness oozed from every pore, showing through his strong outer physique — he looked as ragged and beaten down as a man of his workload would be expected to look.

He sighed, then pulled back his sagging shoulders, straightened his back, and the moment passed: the hard working and dedicated CEO of Nakamura Enterprises had returned. Picking up his briefcase, Manabu exited his bedroom and made his way to the dining area.

The kitchen staff had prepared a breakfast with their boss' tough day ahead in mind: protein and vegetables in the form of an omelet stuffed with broiled fish and ham, flecks of spinach between; grains taken care of by the _okayu_, or rice porridge, sprinkled with cinnamon for his sweet tooth; fruits and dairy mixed into a delicious fruit parfait; and a small slice of peach cobbler to take on the ride to his office. If _anyone_ could brag about having the best cooks, it would be Manabu Nakamura.

He seated himself at the head of the long, empty table and tucked in. The staff bustled around him as they went about their daily duties, overlooked by a watchful Yumi.

Hana appeared at the shoulder of his chair, a pitcher of orange juice in her hands. "Good morning, sir," she greeted him cheerfully as she refilled his glass. "Are you enjoying your breakfast?"

He swallowed before speaking. "Good morning, Hana — breakfast is, as usual, perfect. Tell Stefan he's really outdone himself today."

The young maid bowed her head. "Of course, sir. Enjoy the rest of your meal."

As she disappeared back into the kitchen, Manabu reached out to his right where the morning newspaper sat, unfolding it with one hand. Technology would have made getting his daily news much easier, without a doubt, but he'd always been a stickler for the traditional way of things. In that sense, at least. It helped to ground him and kept his immense wealth from going to his head, as it had his father — as it undoubtedly _would_ have, had it not been for Kokoro.

Just the thought of her name sent him into a nostalgic trance, lowering his paper and gazing out of the window. _Ah, Kokoro..._

Her gentle nature and delicate features had hidden beneath them a truly obstinate and cheeky idealist. From the minute they'd met, she'd let him know what she thought of him: a pompous, superficial young man, who'd had a silver spoon in his mouth for as long as he'd lived. She wasn't at all taken by his wealth and obvious handsomeness as any other woman had — in the beginning, it had been a shock and a rather heavy blow to his ego. Manabu had prided himself on his womanizing abilities. Who was this brash, overly judgmental woman to say such things? Kokoro had irked him and, perhaps for lack of a better word, intrigued him as well. For this same woman possessed one of the kindest souls he'd ever known.

An unorthodox pair they might've been, Manabu found himself falling for her — and thanked his lucky stars that she felt the same. They'd married and it felt as though nothing would be able to take their happiness away — until the news from the doctor came, like a sledgehammer to the gut.

Kokoro was inconsolable for months after, falling into a depressed state that required constant supervision to make sure nothing too..._serious_ happened. Their marriage suffered greatly; fights broke out so easily over the smallest things. At the same time, Manabu's business was in a state of decline. All he wanted was to see his wife's smiling face once more.

But then, like an angel from heaven, they received their miracle — a tiny savior in the form of a pink bundle they'd called Aiko. Right away, Kokoro said that she would be a fighter, not to mention the best heir for the Nakamura name in a long time. _"She'll grow into something neither of us will be able to grasp completely,"_ Kokoro whispered as she held her newborn daughter for the first time. _"Her blossoming will be late — but that will make it all the more extraordinary." _

Manabu could do nothing but agree with her. His daughter was the key to a bliss he'd never thought he could have. His wife was well again, and the Nakamura name seemed to skyrocket overnight. He felt unstoppable; the world was his canvas, and he formed it into his image.

And the sickness came. It was sudden and violent — a tragic reminder that no matter how great you were, how rich or famous or powerful, bad things could still happen. _No one_ was immortal.

After Kokoro passed, Manabu spent much of his time soul searching. An all consuming grief for which nothing could help. Not meditation, medication, or any other remedy could help a shattered heart such as his. For a long time, he felt that _this_ was his divine judgment: too much power, too much happiness, too soon. The world demanded a balance. The reaction was to knock him down a few rungs to gain perspective of the world and his role in it.

Those bleak months might have made up only a tiny portion of Manabu's life, but they felt like an eternity. His mind knew he had to get better — Kokoro wouldn't have wanted him to wallow in grief over her. She'd have snapped at him, _"Are you the bull-headed man I fell in love with, or not?"_ and forced him to enjoy the life given to him — but in such dark days, there was nothing solid to grab hold of. It all felt so unsubstantial that if he attempted to pull himself up, it would dissolve and leave him falling once more.

The thing that saved him, pulled him from those pits of thoughts of doing the unspeakable, was the one star in his life. The thing that granted him so much happiness in the first place: little Aiko. His precious baby girl.

She'd been young, only seven at the time of her mother's death. Manabu could only guess how strong she'd had have to have been to losing not one, but essentially _both_ of her parents in just a few short months. He wasn't proud to say that he'd had her sent to boarding school so that she wouldn't be subject to the pain he felt. The fact that she resembled Kokoro in mind and body did not help his bleeding heart, either.

It was during the first summer break after her mother's death — Manabu found her on the edge of his bed, drawing in her notebook. Though tired and broken, she'd merely given him a single glance before showing him her work. It wasn't the best drawing, and at first Manabu had trouble understanding what it was.

_"It's our f-family,"_ Aiko explained in her sweet voice. The stutter she had back then wasn't nearly as noticeable. _"That's you, and that's m-me, and Mommy's up here, looking d-d-down at us from Heaven."_ She pointed to the figure placed above some clouds. _"She's crying because we're sad, especially Daddy. Mommy wouldn't want you to be sad."_

That had been the moment Manabu realized how far he'd fallen—how close he'd been to losing himself completely.

He got his act together. He threw himself into his work with gusto, determined to make sure his precious little girl would never have to experience an inkling of the pain he had. Looking back now, in the process, he might've pushed a different kind of distance between father and daughter; the minutes they spent together were far and few between. But Manabu knew Aiko understood it wasn't a forced separation — were it up to him, he'd spend as much time as he could with his daughter and heiress — but work would not let it be.

_Everything I've done up to this point has been for your sake, sweetheart. To ensure your future is as bright as you are._

Manabu was pulled back from his thoughts as Hana approached once again. "Sir, the limo is waiting for you," she said, bowing. "Have you finished your breakfast?"

"Ah...yes, Hana." He blinked, a tad lethargic. Only half of his meal was gone, but Manabu didn't feel very hungry anymore. "I'll be out in a moment." The maid nodded and left.

Rousing himself from the unexpected flashbacks, Manabu took a final sip from his glass before gathering his things and walking to the entrance. Yumi waited for him with his coat in hand and a disapproving look on her face. "Master Manabu, you shouldn't leave without finishing your breakfast," she scolded.

The old maid was perhaps the only one who could speak to her boss in such a way; she'd been around longer than Aiko had been alive. Which is how she knew her words were empty to his ears.

"I know, Yumi," he replied as she helped him into his coat. "But I have to get to the office. A letter to the Prime Minister isn't gong to write itself, y'know."

She didn't look convinced. "A letter is hardly more important than your health, sir."

Manabu smiled dryly. "If only we all thought that way." Briefcase in hand, he paused as Yumi opened the door. "And where's Aiko this morning? Still sleeping, I bet."

"Of course, sir. She fell asleep at her drafting table last night — I had to rouse her enough to get her into bed." Yumi shook her head. "That girl just doesn't know when to take a break — I find she reminds me strongly of _someone_ in that area."

"What can I say? Stubbornness runs in the family." Manabu chuckled to himself as Yumi shooed him out the door before another word could be said.

* * *

Hours after Manabu began his workday at his office, miles away at the Hitachiin Manor, two handsome, outwardly charming young men were just rousing themselves from sleep. It was their first morning back home from spending half the weekend away at Okinawa with their club.

Kaoru woke first. He blinked several times, trying to gain his bearings. Hikaru laid next to him, snoring lightly. They'd arrived home pretty late last night, considering the meeting Kyoya had made mandatory once all their guests left. It included usual nonsense that didn't interest the twins in the slightest — they spent the majority of the meeting teasing Tamaki and his _"suspicious actions"_ with Haruhi.

Just thinking of the female host's irritated face caused Kaoru to chuckle.

The noise was just loud enough to wake his brother. Hikaru stirred before opening an eye. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Just laughing to myself."

"Hmm." Hikaru sat up, ruffling his bed head.

Immediately, the twins' personal maids appeared. "Good morning, masters. Your breakfast is waiting for you downstairs."

"We'll be down in a minute," Kaoru answered, yawning.

"Very good, Master Kaoru," they said, bowing.

Hikaru checked his phone for any messages as they disappeared. "No panicked messages from the boss today. Guess we're off the hook from any lame schemes he's thought up."

"Does that mean we _finally_ have a day off?"

"Looks like it."

Kaoru sighed in relief. Sure, he and his brother might've been infamous for their own pranks and schemes, but something about Tamaki's just..._exhausted_ him for some reason. Maybe it was due to the fact that they were always ones to help people. Having a good heart was tiring.

But, he couldn't say he hadn't enjoyed getting dragged around on the weekends; it had grown into something of a tradition of the Host Club. A crazy, nutty tradition for a crazy, nutty group of people. Kaoru put his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. A few years ago, he would have scoffed at the idea that anyone but his brother would mean anything to him, be close enough to be called his "friend." Hikaru was all he needed — _most_ days. Slowly, Kaoru was coming to understand that remaining solely in the company of his brother was being forced to the side as he spent time with other people; not _separately_, not yet. But it was still a far cry from their younger days, that was for sure.

"...so what're we gonna do?" he finally murmured.

Hikaru didn't answer at first. He stared at the screen of his phone until a smirk pulled at his lips. "I think I've got an idea."

* * *

_Ring ding dong!_

Yumi looked up from the clothes she'd just pulled from the dryer; the other maids in the washroom stared back blankly, just as confused.

"Yumi-san," Hana bustled into the laundry room, panicked and flustered. "There's someone at the door!"

"Yes, Hana, I think I noticed." Yumi stood, brushing nonexistent dust from her uniform. All of the staff within the vicinity seemed to have gathered around the head maid, like startled ducklings seeking comfort from the mother mallard.

Hana wrung her hands. "B-But we're not supposed to be having guests today!" she exclaimed. "Nothing is prepared! The guest lunch hasn't been cooked, the curtains have yet to be changed, and only the second floor plants have been watered!"

"Then I suggest you alert the cooks, post haste." Yumi walked out of the laundry room, the other servants parting like the Red Sea. She called out instructions over her shoulder: "Sergio, help Tsuki finish the laundry; Nagisa will assist Hana in the kitchen to serve the food; I shall answer the door and show our guests in. Has the front parlor been cleaned?"

"Yes, ma'am," one of the staff members supplied. "Shall I go and open the curtains?"

"Please." The maid bowed and scurried off. The rest of the staff stared at Yumi's back. She turned around sharply. "As for the rest of you, I assume you all have chores to be doing. Get moving!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

They all scattered. Yumi continued towards the door, muttering under her breath about incompetent staff these days. She took a moment to straighten herself before opening the door. "I apologize for the wait."

"It's no problem—"

"This place_ is _pretty big, after all—"

Yumi blinked at the twins in front of her. "Young masters," she greeted, not phased at all. "Please, come in."

"Thanks!"

They entered the foyer, shedding their normal shoes for a pair of house slippers Yumi set in front of them. "Might I ask why we are being graced with a surprise visit, young masters?"

Hikaru laughed. "Oh, about that—"

"Is Aiko home?"

_Ah — _no wonder, then. "The young miss is still in bed," Yumi explained. "If you could wait in the parlor, I'll have her down as soon as possible—"

"That's okay, we'll wake her for you. We remember the way!" Both twins grinned impishly, turning tail and disappearing up the stairs before Yumi could open her mouth.

* * *

The door to Aiko's room inched open, just enough for Hikaru's head to poke through, closely followed by his brother's. The lights were off, diluted morning sunlight filtering through the curtain the only illumination. Even without a good visual, they could make out an Aiko-shaped lump on the bed, still asleep if her light snores were anything to go by. The twins glanced at each other and nodded; the door opened wider as they crept into the room, splitting on either side of Aiko's bed.

From what Kaoru could see, he assumed Aiko fell asleep in the middle of pulling an all-night sketching session — her fingers still curled around the pencil she'd used. Every now and then her fingers would twitch, as if she were still drawing in her dreams. Aiko was splayed out on her back, an arm propped near her head, the other thrown to the side awkwardly. She wasn't even under the covers: a blanket was thrown over her legs, covering the mess of papers and books he could see poking out. Courtesy of Yumi, probably.

He shook his head in somewhat awe. The heiress to a multi-_billion_ dollar company was sleeping like she was a _commoner_. Or at least, how Kaoru pictured commoner's slept. He'd have to ask Haruhi.

_But...she looks kinda cute when she's sleeping like that. Not all freaked out like she is at school. _Aiko's brow was smooth and unlined, and her face was so _peaceful_ it was almost surreal. _Maybe we should just let her sleep..._ He turned to his brother to suggest this, only to find that Hikaru was looking at Aiko's face. He appeared to be frustrated over something.

"Hikaru." His twin looked up sharply, startled. "Do you think we should let her sleep? It looks like she was up pretty late..."

The question brought Hikaru back to himself. He huffed, placing a superior look on his face. "Why? That's her own fault for not going to bed. We're her _guests — _so she should be entertaining us, not snoring."

Kaoru pulled a face as Hikaru reached towards the sleeping girl. _Like _you're_ one to talk..._

* * *

It — took — _ages_ to wake Aiko up.

First, they tried shaking her by the shoulder, lightly to start with, then harder when she didn't show any signs of waking. Hikaru and Kaoru took turns pushing against her mattress (they didn't dare jumping on it for fear of being stabbed in the foot by a hidden pencil) — she hardly stirred. They snapped their fingers next to her ear, blew in her face, called out her name, pulled at her hair and arms, _anything_ they could think of. Aiko remained out cold.

They tried to coax her awake with some candy in their pockets — threatened to draw on her face with permanent marker — teasingly saying they'd crawl into the bed _with_ her — nothing would work. In the end, both twins were irritated and slightly out of breath.

"Well," Kaoru grumbled. "_Someone's_ a deep sleeper."

Hikaru grunted in agreement. He tried to walk over to his brother, but stubbed his pinkie toe on the poster of her bed. He bit back a curse, curling in on himself as his foot throbbed painfully. Kaoru looked over, wincing. "_May_be we should open the curtains..."

He moved around the bed carefully, watching every step he took so as not to follow in his brother's example. He gripped the curtains and pulled them apart, grateful for the sunlight that now flooded the room. Kaoru turned to help examine Hikaru's foot when a thick, slurred, voice rose from the depths of the bed.

"Yumi...shut that c-curtain..." Aiko mumbled.

Hikaru and Kaoru were at the bedside immediately, staring in disbelief as the young girl made a face and turned her head away from the sudden light. She sighed once before turning over completely, shoving a pillow over her head. "_Yumi_," she stressed. "Close the c-_curtain_...'m still sleepin'..."

After another pause, Aiko's breathing started to even out as she slipped back into unconsciousness. Hikaru, having spent the better half of ten minutes trying to wake the girl, was _not_ about to let that happen. He snatched the pillow from Aiko's grip and promptly brought it up and smacked her in the face with it.

It made her flinch, but she didn't react as the twins assumed she would. Her head barely lifted, voice still half asleep. "...Yumi, wh-what was that fo'...?

"For the love of God, just _get up_!" Hikaru shouted, smacking her once again.

Confused and slightly irritated, Aiko lifted her head towards the voice that had woken her, blinking blearily at the sunlight in her face. What registered in her head wasn't the most _normal_ of sights one would expect upon waking: an annoyed Hikaru, fluffy pillow in his grip waiting to be used, and a smirking Kaoru, who was perfectly content to sit back and watch his brother use it.

This couldn't be right. Aiko must have still been dreaming. _Hikaru and Kaoru wouldn't be in my room on a Sunday morning..._

Kaoru's smirk widened into a grin. "Good morning!" he sang.

That seemed to do the trick. At once, Aiko let out a choked noise, eyes wide and half-crazed. The twins watched as she struggled to get out of bed, but her legs were now tangled in the blanket, throwing her off balance. She surged backwards, overshot, and slipped onto the floor — taking several books, pencils, and part of the duvet with her. Then, all was silent.

The twins exchanged a look.

The top of Aiko's head rose from the other side of the bed, disheveled pigtails scattering strands of hair in all directions. Her eyes popped up next, now wide-awake. She stared up at the twins pitifully before speaking, her voice hardly more than a hoarse whisper. "Wh-Wh-What are y-you two doing...in m-my room?"

A cloud of irritation hung over Hikaru. "We've been _trying_ to wake you up for—" He glanced at Kaoru.

"Nearly ten minutes."

"—nearly ten minutes!" Hikaru continued. "You could've just _told_ us that the only way to get you up is to open the damn curtains!"

"B-B-But...but..." Aiko tried to say, just to be cut off once more.

"I don't think there's another person who could possibly sleep as deeply as you do! Not in the entire _world_ — even Honey-senpai wakes up after a little bit of noise, and he takes naps everyday!" Hikaru worked himself into a rant, so agitated he began to pace. Aiko watched the pillow in his hand warily.

Kaoru hid his smile behind his hand, struggling not to laugh at the scene before him.

"—not even yelling in your ear worked! And then we tried just talking, things we'd know would get you upset, like saying we'd get in bed with you—"

"Y-You _what_!" Aiko squeaked, the rest of her head coming into full view. Her face was quickly coloring.

Hikaru jabbed a finger at her. "See? Like that!"

Now _this — _this was just too much. Kaoru let out a snort that dissolved into hysterical giggles at Aiko's helplessly chagrined features. She looked like a fish, her mouth opening and closing, but no sound coming out. Hikaru just stood there, arms crossed, pilloow still in his hand, and glaring at the wall.

Kaoru had difficulties getting himself under control. "We were bored," he explained with a snicker. "And you weren't awake when we showed up."

"B-But...is that an-ny reason to come into m-m-my room...and s-_scare_ me half to death?" Aiko insisted, still peeking from over the bedside. Hazel irises flickered from Kaoru to Hikaru, worried the frustrated twin would lash out with her pillow again.

"Well — no, not really," was the thoughtful answer. "But this was much funnier than I'd thought it'd be. Good job, Aiko!" Kaoru gave her a thumbs up, to which the girl sighed wearily.

"F-Fine..." Aiko's head disappeared while she untangled her legs from the blanket. She stood slowly, frowning at the mess. "Yumi's n-not going to l-like this..."

The pillow slipped from Hikaru's grip. His earlier annoyance dissipated once Aiko had stood. She was clad in a large shirt, most likely a present from her father — it hung on her small frame, wrinkled from having been slept in. The neck hole was so large it was constantly in trouble of falling off her shoulder. It stopped about mid-thigh, revealing a hint of yellow fabric the twins assumed were shorts. Her socks were bunched around the ankles, purple with blue hearts.

It was difficult for either twin not to immediately pull Aiko into a smothering hug and fawn over how cute she looked; as it was, they were both blushing pretty heavily.

Aiko, as soon as she realized the twins were staring at _her_, immediately became flustered. Red-faced, she fidgeted under their gazes, trying to adjust her clothing so it wouldn't seem so inappropriate.

"W-Well...c-c-could you two please w-wait in the p-parlor...s-s-so I can get...dressed...?" Aiko tried to prompt, looking from the floor to her door, which was still open from the twins' entrance. Kaoru vaguely wondered why a maid hadn't been sent in when they heard Aiko's cries. "...I sh-should be down in a m-minute."

"Want us to help you?" they intoned innocently.

Her face flamed to knew heights — it was a surprise to the twins that smoke didn't start pouring from her ears. Distressed sounds came from her mouth, words not processing completely from her brain to her lips. Shaking her head dramatically, Aiko scurried over to them, pushing them in the direction of her door from behind. Though they could stop her, they allowed themselves to be shoved only because they were planning on leaving soon.

"I-I'll m-m-manage...on m-my own..." she stammered, voice at least two octaves higher than normal.

Hikaru huffed, crossed his arms. "We were only trying to help."

"By the way," Kaoru spoke over his brother. "You _did_ promise us that the next time we came over, you'd let us play Mario Kart."

These events where happening too quickly for Aiko's brain to catch up. She just nodded, mumbled something that sounded like, "Y-Yeah, okay," before shutting the door in their faces, a bit harder than necessary.

* * *

With the door closed and the twins finally out of her room, Aiko placed her back against the wall, sinking to the floor in a weary heap. Her head fell into her hands. This wouldn't do — she had to get herself under control. Knowing the twins for hardly a month, Aiko should have seen this coming. They were remarkably good at surprising people...or maybe that was just her.

_Either way, they're in my house now._ The thought brought Aiko short; then the full weight of the words fell on her. _The _twins_ are in my _house_!_

She sprang from the floor in a mad dash for her closet, throwing on the first things her hands came into contact with. There would be no time to take a shower: those twins could get into more trouble in five minutes than Aiko could bathe. She gargled some mouthwash, ran a brush through her bird's nest of hair, and splashed some water on her face to keep her awake.

Less than ten minutes later, Aiko was stumbling down the stairs as quickly as she could. Several maids and servants had to use evasive maneuvers to keep from being knocked over in her haste.

Aiko arrived, out of breath, at the parlor entrance. Hikaru and Kaoru didn't even look up from the couch, too riveted with the characters on the TV smashing into each other along a race track — they hadn't waited for her to get there before starting the game. A silver cart filled with breakfast pastries and brunch delicacies sat next to the sofa; dirty, empty plates piled on the coffee table. Obviously, they didn't wait before eating, either.

"There you are!" Hikaru exclaimed when he noticed her. "We were starting to wonder if you'd gone back to sleep—"

"—and were about to come wake you up again," Kaoru added. He jerked the remote wheel in his hands hard to the right, leaning his entire body with it. "Hikaru, you almost knocked Bowser right into me!"

"That was the point, Kaoru!"

_So childish_, Aiko thought with a fond look.

The sounds of race cars and power ups ceased as the pause menu popped up. Both twins looked at Aiko skeptically. "What're you doing standing over there for?" they demanded. "Come sit down — it's your house, isn't it?" They grinned, patting the empty spot between them on the couch.

Aiko hesitated; it was a pretty small spot. She didn't think she'd be able to fit between them...

A sly look appeared on Hikaru's face. "Or would you rather to sit on our laps, instead?"

Aiko's face flamed. "Wh-_what_?"

Hikaru and Kaoru took advantage of her delayed reaction to grab her arms and drag her down onto the couch with them — thankfully, they just placed her in between them instead of forcing her on their laps. Aiko pressed her hands to her scarlet cheeks as the twins high-fived over her head. _They were...teasing me_, she realized, pouting. _Oh, those _jerks_. They can be so mean!_

Their attention had already returned to the game, with the exaggerated wheel turns and exclamations that went along with it. Aiko resigned herself to being bumped and squished for the duration of the races, reaching for a bowl of oatmeal from the tray.

As she settled down to watch and eat, Aiko couldn't keep the little content smile off her face. _This isn't so bad_, she decided. _I thought the twins would go crazy If I left them unsupervised in my house too long. But..._ She glanced at Hikaru, then Kaoru. _They look like they're having fun. I'm glad._

* * *

Time passed in a flurry of power ups and speed boosts and shortcuts; the breakfast tray had been swapped out for a sweets tray, and Aiko mechanically munched on a cookie while she watched the twins play. She roused herself from her stupor upon hearing the front door being opened. Normally, Yumi or Hana would have announced a visitor at the door — the only time they wouldn't bother telling Aiko would be if it were Kyoyko, or—

"D-_Dad_?"

Manabu Nakamura paused in the parlor's archway, peering in curiously upon hearing his daughter's voice. He was met with a stricken look from Aiko, and two blank stares from a pair of twins whom he'd never seen before. They sat on either side of her, Wii controllers in their hands, giving off an air of familiarity with his daughter that shocked him. The men all blinked at each other while Aiko attempted to sink further into the sofa.

"Aiko." Manabu eyed the twins skeptically. "I wasn't aware you were having guests today. I would have made sure something had been prepared for them."

"Uh...uh..."

Hikaru and Kaoru sprung up from their seats, hands extended towards Manabu as they walked over. Pleasant smiles plastered across their faces, they were speaking before either Nakamura in the room could react. "You must be Aiko's father, Nakamura-san. It's an honor to meet you, sir. We're the Hitachiin brothers; we're classmates of your daughter. We've heard a lot about you from Aiko."

"Hmph. Really?" Manabu wondered, genuinely surprised. Since _when_ did Aiko speak of him to her friends — if they spoke the truth, at least. His daughter usually found it hard to speak about _herself_ to others, let alone her father.

The twins shook his hand. "Yes, sir. She'd told us all about your dedication to your work. It's really admirable."

They were laying it on a little thick, now. Manabu wasn't surprised that kids from Ouran knew how to schmooze like a pro — he dealt with it from their parents on a daily basis. But his initial surprise lowered his defenses, making him a fly in a honey trap.

"I see, I see. Good," he chuckled, shaking their hands with a bit more enthusiasm than before. If he'd bothered glancing at his daughter, he'd notice her trying to hide her face with a pillow. "Ah — one moment. Did the two of say your name was Hitachiin?"

"Yes, sir. I'm Hikaru—" supplied the twin to the right.

"—and I'm Kaoru," said the twin to the left.

Manabu put a finger to his chin. "You two are the young men that tutored my daughter the other day, yes?"

The twins were all smiles. "That's us!"

He gave a brusque nod. His voice took a serious tone as he continued, leveling a hard stare at Hikaru and Kaoru. "I suppose it goes without saying that I expect nothing but the best for my only daughter. That includes the people she surrounds herself with. If you have _anything_ but pure intentions towards Aiko, I _will_ find out about it — and the appropriate action _will_ be taken against it. Am I understood?"

"F-Father, _please_," Aiko squeaked, red-faced.

Hikaru exchanged a startled glance with his brother. The personality flip Manabu just performed would be second only to the host club's Shadow King. This was a truly intimidating man — even if he _was_ shorter than them. "Y-Yes, sir."

A few tense moments passed. Then Manabu's booming laughter rang out, causing the twins to flinch. He clapped a large hand on their shoulders that nearly pitched them to the ground. Intimidating _and _strong. "I'm just teasing you. I know my princess has excellent judgment when it comes to her friends."

They laughed nervously, rubbing their aching shoulders. "Of course, Nakamura-san."

Manabu waved them off. "Oh, don't call me that. Makes me feel old. Just call me 'Manabu'; makes it easier to blend in with the 'hip' youngsters, don't you think?" He chuckled at the twins' expressions.

Aiko groaned into her pillow at the lame joke. Well, she _hoped_ he was joking.

"Well, I've spent enough time chattering. I should get what I came here for and get back to work." He glanced at his watch a moment before turning and calling for one of the maids to bring his briefcase. "I only popped in because I forgot some blueprints this morning. You three get back to your games — I won't be in your hair much longer."

At that, Aiko looked up, disappointment coloring her tone. "Y-You're leaving alr-ready, Dad?" She joined the others at the archway.

"Yes, sweetheart. I'm running late as it is," he admitted. Manabu's expression, the twins noticed, softened considerably when he spoke directly to his daughter; his voice, too, became gentle and soothing. This was, without a doubt, a man who loved his daughter above all else. "But it's better this way. With me gone, you won't have to worry about me showing your friends any baby pictures—"

Aiko fidgeted. "A-Alright, Dad..."

"Or have to stop me from telling any embarrassing stories—"

"I g-_got_ it, Daddy."

He chuckled at her childish pout. Hana appeared from behind, briefcase and Manabu's coat in her hands. "Ah, thank you, Hana." The maid helped him into his coat while he spoke to Aiko. "Now, you have fun, sweetheart. I'll be home before you know it, okay?" He placed a kiss to the top of her head, smoothing the hair down afterward.

"And you two." Hikaru and Kaoru snapped to attention. "Please take care of my daughter today."

"Of course, sir." Hikaru nodded.

"I was a pleasure to meet you," Kaoru added.

Manabu shook their hands. "Likewise." Then he smiled. "Don't make yourselves strangers here, alright? It's good that Aiko have friends to spend time with while I'm working."

With a nod from both twins, Manabu bid them farewell once more, giving Aiko a not-so-discreet wink that made her flush. He was gone as suddenly as he'd arrived; the only sign he'd been there at all was the resigned look in Aiko's eyes. Hikaru exchanged another look with his brother, who nodded.

An arm draped across Aiko's shoulder, startling her. "_Well_," Kaoru said. "That was an interesting introduction, don't ya' think?"

"Yeah; I think I like your dad, Aiko." Hikaru smirked, leaning against the wall. "He's got a sense of humor."

"A really weird one—"

"—_but_ we've dealt with worse."

She nodded, not really paying attention to their words. The sullen expression on her face worried them. Was this what she had to go through day after day, all by herself?

Kaoru clucked his tongue. "It's too bad about those stories, though. I was really looking forward to hearing some."

That seemed to do the trick — Aiko snapped her head in his direction, panicked. "Wh-what?"

"And those baby pictures, too," Hikaru sighed, truly disappointed. "I was hoping to see one of you in the bathtub; everybody's got one, y'know. Hey — you think you could tell us where your albums are, Aiko?"

"N-No way!"

"_Aaaw_," they complained. "Why not?"

"B-B-Because!" was her only excuse.

Hikaru reached out and pinched her cheek, not unkindly. "You're no _fun_."

"Ow-Ouch, Hikaru...l-let _go_..."

"Oh, well," Kaoru sighed. He placed his hands on Aiko's shoulders, steering her back to the sofa. "We still have a race to finish, anyway."

"Best two out of three, Aiko?"

"Huh?" A controller was shoved into her hands and the game restarted before she could protest. Immediately, her character was hit with a banana peel from Hikaru.

With her attention promptly diverted, Aiko had no time to sulk over her father leaving — exactly as the twins had wanted.

* * *

"I can't believe you didn't win _any_ races," Kaoru exclaimed in disbelief. He wasn't even joking this time. "We played, like, 60 times — statistically speaking, Aiko, you should've won at least _once_."

"There was a reason it hadn't been opened yet, Kaoru," Hikaru snickered.

"That's true, I guess."

Their teasing made Aiko's cheeks burn, but she still smiled. "I d-did badly, I kn-know..."

It was late afternoon when the twins' limo arrived. She'd been hoping they could stay for a little longer, but Kaoru reminded her that they all had school in the morning.

"And you of all people need your rest," he'd added, tugging a strand of her hair. "Wouldn't want you to be late because you overslept — who'd we have to mess with at school if you were late?"

He was right — about her sleep, at least. Aiko had stayed up far past what she'd expected to last night, and ended up paying the price for her deep slumber. _But — _she looked down at her hands, hiding a small smile — _it turned out alright, in the end. _She might not have won any races, but she'd had more fun in that one afternoon than in the last few years of her life. Manabu had even given his blessing over the friendship, and that meant a lot to her.

Now, with the sun disappearing below the horizon, casting its orange glow over the world, she couldn't help but want them to stay — if only until her father returned home. This house, which always felt a little empty, would seem positively deserted once the twins' large presence left.

"Don't worry about it too much," Kaoru sighed. For a moment, Aiko thought he was talking about her thoughts — she gaped at him as he continued. "You'll get better at it next time."

_Oh._ He was just talking about the game. Aiko stopped walking, causing the twins to turn curiously. "...n-next...time?" she repeated, hesitating.

They gave her identical looks of incredulity. "What? Did you think this was going to be a one time thing?"

Aiko averted her eyes. "—N-_No_..."

Hikaru rolled his eyes; Kaoru nearly face-palmed. "You'd think some as smart as you would notice when people _genuinely_ want to spend time with you."

"I...I'm s-sorry." How was it that these two could see through her so easily? "It's just...I'm not u-used to having people ov-ver like this...hang-g-ging out..." Aiko sighed, blood pooling into her cheeks. She preoccupied herself with her hands, not daring to look at the twins. "This...is completely n-new to m-me."

It was silent. Aiko hardly breathed.

A hard, but not unkind knock to the side of Aiko's head made her jump. "Dummy," Hikaru mumbled gruffly. If she didn't know any better, she' could have sworn Hikaru was blushing, too — but that was probably just a trick of the sun's fading light. "You've got more friends than just Honey and Mori-senpai, y'know."

"Besides," Kaoru added, smiling kindly. "you dad said it was fine for us to come over whenever we want to. We were going to do that _anyway_, but it's better when you get permission."

"So expect us over more often, 'kay?"

Warmth flooded Aiko's chest, for once having nothing to do with embarrassment. Her face most likely resembled a stop light, but that didn't stop a smile from curling her lips up.

"...s-sure."

* * *

END OF CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Ah, it feels good to get back into the groove of writing after a long funk period. Being out of school for the holidays helped, too, I suppose. Tbh, this chapter was done _before_ the holidays-I just didn't feel in the mood to edit it, haha.

_On to reviews~_

* * *

From **Cathiee: **_Hikaru doesn't want Akio to make friends that isn't himself, Karou or Haruhi! . ILY AKIOxHIKARU!_

Haha, we all know how possessive the twins (i.e. Hikaru) can get over people they actually _like_. It can be taken both good and bad. Thank you very much for your review!

* * *

**Chibi-Ninja-Writer: **_You're alive? Gomen, it's just been so long! Great chapter btw, arigato!_

No, no, I deserve that. It feels like I have died, this school year has been so long already. A nice long summer vacation is what I need, tbh, but I've still got another semester to deal with -sighs- Thanks for your review, dear UwU

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**KangMina: **_Yay! I was super excited when I saw you'd updated! And Kasanoda! He's so awkwardly cute. But I still ship AikoxHikaru the most. They are the best. 3_

Kasanoda was adorable in the anime (even though he scared me the first time, hehe) and he grew on me in the manga, too. I couldn't _not_ have him in this story, y'know? And I'm glad you're dedicated to your ship, haha. Thanks, dear!

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A _looooong_ review from **Left-to-die: **_So I just happened to stumble upon this story and im so glad I did! I love this story more than I love myself. And that's a lot. The one thing I really appreciate about this story is the growing friendships between your OC and the host club rather than...instant bonding, I guess? Or instant attraction, I suppose in the case of romance. _

_I also really appreciate Honey and Aiko's friendship thing they have. It's pretty adorable, first of all, but I also feel like it really adds to the character development. I'm also glad they don't have a romantic relationship because, honestly, I love who Honey ended up with in the manga. That's cute._

_And of course the twins. They're amazing. Extra points for Kaoru and his sly, all-knowing smirks. But really, Kaoru is especially hilarious in your story. He just knows about his brother and all, and that makes total sense! they're cute too. All these characters are too cute. Their cuteness level is over 9000. (AH Wrong anime.)_

_Also, I cannot believe you added Kasanoda (Casanova, really). I mean, I'm just so happy. When I first read that - red hair and all - I just had this huge grin on my face. Oh, I knew what was coming. I kneeeew. _

_So yeah, overall I'm pretty pleased with this fantastic story. Not to mention your grammar is pretty amazing - a rare sight now. And gee sorry for this long review. All my ramblings._

_-LtD_

-distant squeals of happiness- You don't know how happy your review made me when I got it, omg. Everything I'd hoped to portray in the story, you've loved, and that makes me really, really proud. Which doesn't happen often, _trust_ me. Omg, Kaoru always stood out to me more than Hikaru did, and it would be an absolute tragedy if I didn't do his character justice.

Your ramblings are fine with me! Thank you very, very much for your review!

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**Cookie-chan99: **_I love this! It's so cute and amazing! Lalalala I love this story PLEASE update soon! I can't wait. I'm soooooo excited for it! I till I read it then get dis appointed that its over and then want the next to come out so one and so on. So I have a question, is that romance I smell? If so tell me so ill know I'm a dunce and never realize that there's romance so I jut started asking... Also who with? _

Ah, romance. Ouran was always considered a romantic comedy, of course, so why _shouldn't_ there be romance in this fic? Hehe, though this story is not centered around the romance, there will be hints of it as we go on, trust me! Thank you, Cookie-chan, for reviewing!

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**Wajagirlliz: **_Love your story! Can't wait to see what happens next _ 3_

Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter, dear!

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**Rosezelene Ersa: **_Kasanoda?! I did not see that coming. I was really proud of Aiko, though; he deserves at least one person that'd not be scared off by his face. Personaly I adore the awkwardness, and you didn't try to quicken the scene, which I appriciate. I like how Aiko is such a realistic character- and she somehow retains the quirks which allow her to be a beliveable Oran student. The twins as bodyguards was perfect, so kudos to you :)_

_One last thing, if you reply to this reveiw in your next update, please do not refer to me with a pet name such as "dear" or "sweetie", just R.E is fine. Thank you for putting up with this rather long and kinda sorta demanding reveiw,_

_-R.E_

Kasanoda deserves _all_ the friends, I know. The poor guy's just too awkward and mean-looking -sighs- Thanks very much for your review, R.E. it means a lot :3

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Getting your reviews makes my day, guys, I"m serious. Especially when I'm under the weather, it really picks my mood up x10.

_Aiko's question time~_

From **Chibi-Ninja-Writer: **_Aiko-chan, I'm not certain if anyone's ever asked you this, but what is you'r favorite stuffed animal, if you ever had one?_

Aiko: Uh...I had one wh-when I was small. It was a p-p-panda bear my m-mom got on one of her t-trips.

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**Cookie-chan99: **_Aiko, what is your favorite time of day and time of year?_

Aiko: I think...the f-f-fall is my f-favorite season. The leaves are r-really pretty, all d-d-different colors and such. And I-I like the early morning...

-sweat drop- Says the girl who hardly wakes up early when she doesn't have to...

Aiko: -blushes- Sh-Shut up!

Aw, you're so cute when you try to act all tough =w= That was the last question, though. Thanks to everyone for their reviews and to my two who sent in questions!

Aiko: Th-Thank you.

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That's the end of this author's note, which means I'll see you all next time! I hope everyone had a happy holiday, and a great new year!

Also, for anyone who hasn't done so, go on my profile and copy the link there. It'll take you to my tumblr page and my sketch dump of Aiko so you can get a feel for what she looks like! Apologies in advance, my artwork is not the best, but I try! And I'd never say no if someone drew their own version of our precious Aiko *winkwinknudgenudge*

Until next time, everyone! Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!


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